LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



ielf...._>i? > 4 



UNITED STATES OE AMERICA. 



THE TABERNACLE 
IN" SINAI. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE 



STRUCTURE, SIGNIFICATION, AND SPIRITUAL LESSONS 

OF THE MOSAIC TABERNACLE ERECTED IN 

THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI. 



By REV. D. A. RANDALL, D.D. 

Author of the "Handwriting of God in Egypt, Sinai, and thk 
Holt-Land." 



Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. 

— Exodus, xxv, 8. 




CO 

BRADLEY & WOODRUFF, PUBLISHERS, 
BOSTON. 



\ Y 






Copyright, 1891, 
BRADLEY & WOODRUFF. 



EXPLANATIONS. 



This is not intended as a book for scholars and critics. 
Such have commentaries and Bible dictionaries at hand from 
which information can readily be obtained, and where all crit- 
ical and disputed points are discussed and explained, so far as 
human learning and ingenuity are able to do it. The design 
is to give a succinct, definite, and, as far as possible, clear and 
intelligent statement of the literal structure of the Tabernacle, 
and, in connection with that, to present the instructive and 
important spiritual lessons the different parts of the building 
and its furniture suggest, or are designed to teach. This the 
author has endeavored to do without indulging too much in 
fanciful or extravagant interpretations, as many have done, 
and to do it in a style and language adapted to the great mass 
of common readers. 

The purpose is not only to impart information upon one of 
the most wonderful structures ever erected — the first literal 
building dedicated to the worship of Jehovah God of which 
we have any account — but from that to awaken a deeper in- 
terest in the truth, and inspire the more zealous devotions of 
the heart toward that God who changes not — the great loving 
Father of us all — and who, to-day, as imperatively demands 
the affections of the heart, and the devout homage of the soul, 

(iii) 



IV EXPLANATIONS. 

as when He first placed man in paradise, or spake to his people 
in awful grandeur from the burning mount, or sat enthroned 
upon the wings of the cherubim. The earnest desire has been 
to make a book for the spiritually-minded — to aid and en- 
courage the soul in nearer approaches to God, and more inti- 
mate communion with Him; to lead into fields few have 
attempted to explore, but which bloom like Eden with the 
rich things of God. 

The journey into the wilderness was a real one, and the 
writer was one of the company. The Rabbi is introduced to 
aid in bringing out more clearly and forcibly many truths in 
which Jew and Christian are alike interested, and to open the 
way for the introduction of many lessons that could not other- 
wise have been so forcibly or naturally presented. The 
adoption of the narrative and conversational form has enabled 
the writer to give frequent change and diversity to the subject, 
and thus avoid the monotony of continued didactic discourse. 

The author has long made the Tabernacle a study, and for 
some thirty years has used a small model of his own construc- 
tion in teaching others. During all this time he has been 
gathering notes and making memoranda of original and selected 
thoughts, and in the compilation of these he may in some 
instances have failed to give proper credit for what others may 
claim as their own. He has not thought best to burden the 
work by many references and notes, as but few who read the 
book will care to consult the authors upon whom he has relied. 

The author of "The Sacred Tabernacle of the Hebrews" — 
Edward E. Atwater — published in 1874, tells us his work was 
written more especially for clergymen, and he has done his 
work well ; but this book is intended for the general reading 



EXPLANATIONS. V 

public — for all classes of persons — to lead the contemplation 
from the literal to the spiritual, from the symbol to the glorious 
reality. 

Etheridge's translation of the Targums has been used, and 
his prefatory remarks to that work have been found very in- 
structive and useful. 

The Old Testament contains some of the richest treasures of 
God's revelation, and the Tabernacle in the wilderness opens a 
rich mine of heavenly truth. Who can conduct us through 
the courts of the Lord's house and open to us the treasures of 
its golden symbols ? Human reason alone can not light our 
pathway. Jehovah furnished the pattern ; His spirit alone 
can unfold the mysteries. To Him let us look. 



HAM-MISHKAN, 

THE WONDERFUL TE1STT. 



CHAPTER I. 



Introductory Reflections — In Egypt — Prepara- 
tions for a Journey — Encampment by the Sea. 

Will God indeed tabernacle among men ? For Him 
whom the heaven of heavens can not contain, can the 
earth furnish a dwelling place ? " He is my God," said 
Moses, " I will prepare Him a habitation." 

Moses completed his work, and was laid to rest in the 
lone grave on Nebo. The Tabernacle served its purpose, 
and gave place to the costly and magnificent temple of 
Mount Zion ; but the work of the wilderness was not 
forgotten. After near fifteen hundred years had passed 
it was written by the pen of inspiration, " There was a 
Tabernacle made ; the first wherein was the candlestick, 
and the table, and the show-bread ; which is called the 
sanctuary. And after the second vail the Tabernacle, 
which is called the holiest of all ; which had the golden 
censer, and the ark of the covenant, overlaid round about 
with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, 
and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the cov- 
enant, and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the 
mercy-seat." — Heb. ix. 



THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Wonderful structure ! marvelous for the wisdom that 
inspired it ; the skill of the architect ; the luxuriance of 
its materials ; the elegance and beauty of its workman- 
ship ! More astonishing than all, that the mighty God 
should dwell within its curtains, and fill all its innermost 
recesses with the inexpressible glory of His presence^ 

Where was this wonderful structure ? Upon whom did 
God bestow the honor of its erection ? What were the 
impressive lessons it was designed to teach? Let us go 
and see for ourselves ; — mingle with the chosen people of 
God ; witness their miraculous redemption from bondage ; 
follow them into that great and terrible wilderness ; gather 
with them at the mount of God, where awe-stricken and 
adoring they behold His glory. Let us enter the court,, 
and even press with the High Priest behind the costly 
curtains, and stand among the golden symbols, radiant 
with the glory of the mysterious Shekinah ! 

Here we are in Egypt ! What strange things have 
transpired around us ! Here was the earthly home of 
civilization ; the cradle of science and the arts ; the gar- 
den and the garner of the world ! Here we are in the 
home of the Pharaohs ; the land of mighty temples and 
gigantic pyramids ! Wonderful land ! Wonderful in its 
physical features ; in the mysterious river that gives it 
fertility ; in the antiquity of its history ; the surviving 
monuments of its ancient grandeur ! To the Christian 
more wonderful for its association with the chosen people 
of God; of Abraham's visit; of Joseph's slavery, humil- 
iation, and final exaltation ; of Moses' birth and princely 
adoption and education ; of the astounding miracles by 
which he vindicated the power and majesty of the God 
of his fathers, and led his people from bondage to the 
promised land. What lessons come to us from all the 



INTRODUCTORY REFLECTIONS, ETC. 3 

records of the past ; from the desolations and ruins of the 
present ! 

The history of redemption is full of interest. The 
hand of God is seen in every stage of its development. 
Sin had no sooner separated man from his Maker than 
the grand scheme for restoration to a lost paradise com- 
menced. God did not withdraw Himself from the world. 
East of Eden were the cherubim, and the tokens of God's 
abiding presence, and there sacrificial worship commenced. 
Abel's altar and bleeding lamb was the beginning of that 
long series of sacrifices that marked the patriarchal age, 
and by which men sought acceptance with God. 

The first great historic period reached from the crea- 
tion to the flood — from the beautiful garden, the flaming 
sword and the cherubim of Eden to the dark and dismal 
waste of waters that entombed a world. Noah walked 
the renovated earth, spanned the radiant bow of promise, 
and from his consecrated altar the smoke of his sacrifi- 
cial offering ascended, a sweet-smelling savor unto God. 

But again the Creator was forgotten, truth was perverted 
and man walked in the blindness of sin and the pollutions 
of idolatry. Jehovah, by a strange and mysterious call, 
separated Abraham from his kindred, his father's house 
and his native land. He gave him special revelations, 
made him a depositary of His truth, the agent of its 
preservation, and the means of its dissemination. He 
pledged to him His special protection and blessing — 
promised that a nation should come out of his loins, from 
whom should arise the Messiah in whom all the nations 
of the earth should be blessed. He led him a weary pil- 
grimage into an unknown land, and among a strange peo- 
ple. Canaan and Egypt knew his wanderings ; but, 
wherever he went, the altar of his God marked his en- 



4 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

campment ; the smoke of his burnt-offering ascended to 
Heaven, and the angels of the unseen Jehovah were his 
companions and guide. 

The years roll on. By a strange series of events his 
posterity are settled in this land of Mizraim, and the 
twelve families became a great multitude. We know the 
story of their bondage ; the severity of their oppression ; 
and how, from the bitterness of their vassalage they cried 
unto God. Jehovah never forgets, never leaves Himself 
without a witness. So sure as His throne is established 
in the heavens, so sure His promise will be performed. 

At last, after long waiting and suffering, the time came 
for their deliverance. Moses made his advent in the 
court of Pharaoh. His was a marvelous escape from the 
decree that doomed to death the infants of his oppressed 
race. Saved by water ; adopted by the daughter of the 
king ; reared at court and educated among princes ; God 
was secretly and mysteriously preparing the way for the 
fulfillment of His apparently forgotten promise to Abra- 
ham, and the ultimate blessing of the world. 

By this man of God's appointment deliverance was to 
come to Israel. That enslaved nation was to be led out 
of Egypt, and that event was to mark an epoch in the 
world's sacred history ; a great revival of religion was 
to bless mankind, a new, and more complete revelation 
from Jehovah to be made. 

The few scattered truths that had fallen at uncertain 
intervals along the patriarchal ages, were to be gathered 
up, and a complete system of law, of faith and worship, 
established. God would make His character more fully 
known ; unfold the great doctrine of expiation from sin, 
and prepare the way for the introduction into the world 
of the great atoning sacrifice — the Lamb on Calvary ! 



INTRODUCTORY REFLECTIONS, ETC. 5 

Now we are to follow in the track of this redeemed 
people ; go with them into the wilderness of their wan- 
derings ; stand under the light of the mysterious pillar 
of cloud and fire ; listen to the thunder of God's voice 
on Sinai ; contemplate the erection of that costly Tab- 
ernacle, and seek a solution of its sublime symbols, and 
heavenly ministrations. 

But a journey into the desert, and a visit to the mount 
of God, is still a formidable undertaking. Now, as in 
the days of Israel's exodus, it is, as Moses called it, a 
" Great and terrible wilderness." The camel must be the 
transport, the wild Arab the guide and attendant. Tents, 
beds, provisions, water — all needed supplies — must be 
taken with us ; for we shall find no fertile fields ; no re- 
freshing springs ; no cheerful habitations. We may go 
trusting in Israel's God, but we can presume on no mir- 
acle to bring water from the rock, or manna from the 
heavens. 

To-morrow we take our departure ; we have the after- 
noon and evening, how shall the time be spent ? Let us 
visit among the still remaining monuments of antiquity ; 
meditate among the ruins of the home of the Pharaohs ; 
wander along the renowned waters of the Nile, and recall 
the history of Moses, that wonderful man of God, whom 
we shall so often meet as we traverse the wilderness, and 
study the Tabernacle of God. The palaces in which he 
was nurtured have crumbled to dust ; temples and gods 
have been forgotten, but the name of Moses and his illus- 
trious deeds live in the hearts of millions, and are known 
over the world. More than three thousand years have 
passed since he found a lone grave on Nebo. No monu- 
mental stone marks the spot, but he has a more enduring 
monument than piles of marble or pillars of brass, 



THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Poet, historian, prophet, general, statesman — a con- 
stellation within himself — his glory remains undimmed— 
Jew, Mohammedan, and Christian, alike unite to do him 
honor. 

Moses still lives ! He led his people to the borders of 
the promised land, and his long and laborious mission on 
earth was ended, and God raised up a Joshua to lead the 
nation into the covenant possession. The great law-giver 
was not permitted to enter the literal Canaan, but his 
glorified spirit was taken to a better land — the eternal 
home of all the blest. Fifteen hundred years after he 
closed his earthly mission, in company with Elijah, who 
had gone up to heaven from those same mountains, in a 
chariot of fire, he was sent on an embassy from the courts 
of glory to meet the incarnate Son of God on the mount 
of transfiguration, to talk with him of the decease that 
Holy One should accomplish at Jerusalem — the great 
work of redemption by atoning blood ! How close the 
sympathy between earth and heaven ! Moses wrote of 
Christ, and Christ was in all the ministrations of the 
sanctuary. How we shall delight to talk of those things 
as we come into the courts of the Tabernacle, and stand 
by the Great Altar of Atonement ! 



THE ENCAMPMENT AT THE RED SEA. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Encampment at the Red Sea — First Evening 
in the Desert — A Stranger Introduced — The 
Story of Israel's Deliverance. 

In our journey to Suez, we plunged at once into the 
cheerless desert that stretches away from the gates of El 
Kahira to the confines of Arabia. For a caravan jour- 
ney it occupies about three days. The monotony of the 
desert is occasionally broken by gentle undulations of the 
surface, or low ranges of hills, but every-where the same 
oppressive sterility meets the eye. No shadowy groves ; 
no green fields ; scarce a shrub or tree, to relieve the 
gloomy aspect. No human habitations, unless you chance 
to meet the low black tent of some Bedouin Arab — still 
a wandering child of the desert. Every thing is in strik- 
ing contrast with the fertile valley of the Nile you have 
left behind. 

And now here we are upon the head-waters of that 
historic sea, renowned for the mighty deliverance wrought 
for the hosts of Israel ! This head of the Red Sea is the 
gate of entrance to the Sinaitic peninsula, and the grand 
rallying place for Mohammedan pilgrims upon the great 
caravan route to Mecca. Here we shall rest for a day to 
complete the arrangements for a journey into the great 
desert, and to the mount of God. We shall not need to 
avail ourselves of the conveniences of the Caravansera ; 
Abdallah, our dragoman, has his shelter in readiness, our 



8 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

dinner even now awaiting, and we are to commence at 
once our tent-life in the desert. 

The First Evening in Camp. 

" How strange/' says one, " that we have spread our 
tent upon the very spot where the hosts of Israel once 
gathered; that we listen to the murmur of the waters 
that ingulfed the hosts of their enemies ! Can this indeed 
be the ground that was once overshadowed by that mys- 
terious pillar of cloud that shed its light upon Israel, and 
Avas darkness to Egypt, and that led the way through all 
the desert wanderings ? " 

" What a battle," said another, " these waters wit- 
nessed when man's impulsive passions and God's deter- 
mined purposes were brought into collision. Not a con- 
test of human weapons, the roar of cannon, the rattle of 
musketry, or the clash of bayonet and saber ; not the 
armed knight with spear and shield and helmet ; not Go- 
liath with his ponderous armor, not David with his simple 
sling and stones. It was one of those mighty struggles 
where faith in God was to work the victory. Who does 
not believe in unseen agencies ? The angels of God en- 
camp round about them that fear Him. The unseen yet 
incomprehensible presence of Jehovah guides us in peace, 
and becomes our shield in the hour of clanger." 

" When," said I, " we move in obedience to the com- 
mands of Jehovah we may expect the way will be opened 
for us. How wonderful our God ! How terrible in judg- 
ment ! How powerful in deliverance ! He who in the 
morning of creation shut the waters within their bounda- 
ries could scoop out for his people a highway of escape." 

" The redeemed people," said Elnathan, " found them- 
selves in safety on the Canaan side ; but I was thinking 



A STRANGER INTRODUCED. 9 

of the boasting warriors of Egypt. They too entered the 
gate-way of waters. Alas for their boasting ! An un- 
seen hand closed the portals behind them. It was in the 
morning watch. What a morning was that ! The sun 
arose upon the green valley of the Nile ; his light kin- 
dled upon these Arabian hills, and glanced upon these now 
tranquil waters. Beneath this sea, thus gleaming in the 
morning sunlight, were buried the thousands that in the 
strength and glory of human pride marched out from yon- 
der populous cities of the plain ! " 

The Introduction of a Stranger. 

Engaged thus in recalling the wonders of the past, our 
dragoman approached the door of the tent with a stran- 
ger, whom he announced as a voyager from Syria, anx- 
ious to join the caravan into the desert. He had just 
come in with a company of Moslem pilgrims on their way 
to Mecca. 

Having made this general announcement, he motioned 
me aside to tell me the stranger had made application to 
be taken to Mount Sinai. For himself he would be quite 
willing to add another to the nomad. " But," continued 
he, " some do not like to admit strangers to their com- 
pany in such pilgrimages ! " 

" Who is he, Abdallah ? " 

" I can not tell ; only that he is Rabbi Ben Achmed, 
from Damascus, bearing letters of commendation from 
Effencli Raschad, ruler of that city." 

" He is an Israelite, then ? " said I, inquiringly. 

" Don't know. I never ask the religion of my employ- 
ers. So they do right, and pay the contract it is all 
alike to me whether they say Allah, Elohim, or Jesu." 

" It may not be pleasant to have one of a different faith 



10 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

in our company — one that would not feel at ease in our 
conversation and worship." 

" That is for you to say. I am told your Master teaches 
you to love all men, and disciple all. Thank me for bring- 
ing you a pupil — a heretic may be/' said Abdallah, some- 
what sarcastically. 

" I will inquire of my companions," said I. 

During this colloquy, which none of the company but 
myself had heard, the stranger bore without visible em- 
barrassment the close scrutiny to which he was subjected, 
and was still standing calm and self-possessed where Ab- 
dallah first announced him. 

A man considerably above medium height, apparently 
of about three score years, he stood dignified and erect 
as a son of the desert. His hair, once deep black, had 
taken a thick sprinkling of gray. His eyes were large, 
dark, and undimmed, while the whole expression of his 
countenance was full of kindness and intelligence. He 
wore a long, flowing beard, that, like his hair, told of ad- 
vancing age, and added much to his venerable appearance. 
His dress was oriental, and like his physiognomy, com- 
bined a mixture that would have made his faith or nation- 
ality still more a puzzle. He wore the close-fitting pants 
of the Frank ; a rich Arabian tunic was thrown loosely 
over his shoulders, through the openings of which could 
be seen portions of a black satin vest, richly embroid- 
ered with gold and scarlet. His feet were protected by 
sandals, and his head covered with a close-fitting Turk- 
ish fez unadorned by either tassel or turban. No one 
from features or costume, could determine just where to 
class him, or to guess, were he to open his lips, whether 
it would be to acknowledge the Prophet, or bless Jehovah, 
God of Israel. 



A STRANGER INTRODUCED. 11 

The prepossessing appearance of the stranger, and the 
short consultation that followed, settled the question — 
Rabbi Ben Achmed was to be one of the party into the 
wilderness. 

Seated with his new associates, the former conversation 
was renewed. It turned at once upon the astonishing 
events that for more than three thousand years had made 
the place of their encampment memorable in the religious 
history of the world. The mission of Moses; the mira- 
cles at the court of Pharaoh ; the dividing of the waters ; 
the pillar of cloud and fire ; the wide-spread and far- 
reaching influence of these even upon the religious char- 
acter of the world, all passed in review, till the company 
seemed carried back to the very days of Israel's deliver- 
ance, and to be standing in the very midst of the sub- 
lime manifestations of Jehovah. 

" Thou art a Rabbi," said one to the stranger, for no 
one had yet suspected his real character and purpose, 
" and familiar with the traditions and history of thy peo- 
ple. Let us sit at thy feet and hear from thee of the 
wonders of Israel's redemption." 

" I am a stranger,'' replied Ben Achmed, " and came 
not to teach but to be taught. The law has been my 
study, and I worship the God of my fathers. The proph- 
ets I have searched diligently, but many things are to 
me mysteries. Clouds hang over me, the obscurities of 
which I can not penetrate. I look up to Jehovah, blessed 
be His Holy name, and my prayer is, Guide me, Thou 
Living One, into the fullness of Thy truth.'' 

" May God make us mutually useful, and blessings to 
each other,' 5 I replied. 

" Amen ! Jehovah be praised," responded Ben Ach- 
med. and at once continued: -'Expecting to visit this 



12 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

place I compiled from our Targums the story of Israel's 
deliverance. It contains, to be sure, many glosses and 
enlargements of the original Hebrew, but the peculiarity 
of the style and comments may be new to most of you, 
and it may not be uninteresting to read it upon the very 
spot once sanctified and made glorious by the presence 
and power of Jehovah." 

achmed's story. 

" It was in the dividing of the night of the fifteenth day that 
the Word of the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of 
Mizraim, from the first-born son of Pharaoh, who would have 
sat upon the throne of his kingdom, unto the first-born of the 
captive in the house of the chained ; and all the first-born of 
cattle. 

"And the sons of Israel moved from Pilusin towards Suc- 
coth, protected there by seven clouds of glory on their four 
sides ; one above them, that neither rain nor hail might fall 
upon them, nor that they should be burned by the heat of the 
sun ; one beneath them, that they might not be hurt by thorns, 
serpents or scorpions ; and one went before them to make the 
valleys even, and the mountains low, and to prepare a place 
of habitation. And there were about 600,000 men journeying 
on foot ; none riding on horses except children [or families] 
five to every man. 

"And the days of the sons of Israel in Mizraim were thirty 
weeks of years, which is the sum of two hundred and ten 
years. But the number of four hundred and thirty years had 
passed away since the Lord spake to Abraham, in the hour that 
He spake to him in the fifteenth of Nisan, between the divided 
parts ; until the day that they went out of Mizraim. 

" Four nights are there written in the book of memorial be- 
fore the Lord of the world. Night the first : when the Lord 
revealed himself upon the world as it was created, when the 
world was without form and void, and darkness was spread 



achmed's story. 13 

upon the face of the deep, and the Word of the Lord 
illuminated and made it light ; and He called it the first 
night. 

' ' Night the second : when the Word of the Lord was re- 
vealed unto Abraham between the divided parts ; when Abra- 
ham was the son of a hundred years, and Sarah was a daugh- 
ter of ninety years, and that which the scripture saith was con- 
firmed. Was not our father Izhak a son of thirty-seven years 
at the time he was offered upon the altar ? The heavens were 
brought down, and bowed low, and Izhak saw their realities 
[perfections] and his eyes were blinded at the sight ; and He 
called it the second night. 

" The third night : when the Word of the Lord was revealed 
upon the Misraee, at the dividing of the night, and His right 
hand slew the first-born of the Misraee, and His right hand 
spared the first-born of Israel ; to fulfill what the scripture had 
said : Israel is my first-born son ; and he called it the third 
night. 

' ' Night the fourth : when the end of the world will be ac- 
complished, that it might be dissolved, the bands of wickedness 
destroyed, and the iron yoke broken. Mosheh came forth from 
the midst of the desert, but the king Meshiah comes from the 
midst of Roma. The cloud preceded that, and the cloud 
will go before this one, and the Word of the Lord will lead 
between both, and they shall proceed together. This is the 
night of Pascha before the Lord to be observed and celebrated 
by the sons of Israel in all their generations. 

"And the people took their dough while not leavened, re- 
maining in their kneading pans, carrying it upon their heads, 
and what remained to them of the Paschal cakes, and bitter 
things, they carried bound with their raiment upon their 
shoulders. And they divided the dough which they brought 
out of Mizraim, and it was baked for them into unleavened 
cakes, because it had not fermented, for the Mizraee had 
thrust them out, neither could they delay ; and it was sufficient 



14 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

for them to eat until the fifteenth of the month Ijar ; because 
they had not prepared provisions for the way. 

"And they journeyed from Succoth, the place where they 
had been covered with the cloud of glory, and sojourned in 
Etham, which is on the side of the desert. And the Word of 
the Lord conducted the people by the way of the desert of the 
sea of Suph. Armed in good works went up the sons of Israel 
from the land of Mizraim. 

"And the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord went before 
them by day in the column of cloud, to lead them in the way, 
and at night the column of cloud moved behind them to darken 
on their pursuers behind them. The column of cloud departed 
not from them by day, nor the column of fire by night in 
leading on before the people. 

"And the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned to 
evil against this people, and they said : what is this that we 
have done ? for we have released Israel from serving us. And 
Pharaoh said : the people of the house of Israel are bewil- 
dered in the land ; the idol Zephon hath shut them in close 
upon the desert. 

"And he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the char- 
iots of the Mizraee, his servants, who were afraid of the Word 
of the Lord lest they should be killed with pestilence, if not 
with hail ; and a third mule for following swiftly he added to 
each chariot. And the Lord hardened the design of the heart 
of Pharaoh, king of Mizraim, and he pursued after Israel. 
And the Mizraee followed after them, and came upon them as 
they were encamped by the sea, gathering of pearls and of 
goodly stones, which the river Pison had carried from the gar- 
den of Eden into the Gihon, and the Gihon had carried into 
the sea of Suph, and the sea of Suph had cast upon its bank. 

"And the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold 
the Misraee were pursuing them ; and they were sorely afraid, 
and the children of Israel prayed before the Lord. But the 
wicked generation said to Mosheh : because there were no 



achmed's story. 15 

burial places for us in Mizraim, hast thou led us forth to die 
in the wilderness ? What hast thou doue iu bringing us out 
of Mizraim ? 

"Four companies made the children of Israel, standing by 
the weedy sea; one said, let us fall upon the sea ; another said, 
let us return to Mizraim ; another said, let us array battle 
against them ; and another said, let us shout against them and 
confuse them. To that company who said, let us fall upon the 
sea, Mosheh said, fear not, stand still, and see the salvation 
of the Lord, which shall be wrought for you this day. To the 
company who said, wo will return unto Mizraim, Mosheh said, 
fear not, for as you have seen the Misraee, this day you will 
see them no more in bondage forever. To the company who 
said, we will array battle against them, Mosheh said, fear not, 
the Lord in the glory of His Shekinah will work the victory 
for your hosts. To the company who said, let us shout against 
them to confound them, Mosheh said, fear not, stand and be 
silent, and give the glory and the praise and the exaltation 
unto Elohah. 

"And the Angel of the Lord who led the way before the 
hosts of Israel went and came behind them ; and the cloud 
was half light and half darkness ; light, it enlightened upon 
Israel ; darkness, it darkened upon Mizraim. And these came 
not to set battle in order all the night. 

"And the Word of the Lord said unto Mosheh, how long 
standeth thou praying before me ? heard before me are thy 
prayers ; but the prayers of my people have preceded thine. 
Speak to the sons of Israel that they go forward, and stretch 
forth thy hand. And Mosheh stretched out his hand over the 
sea, with the great and glorious rod which was created at the 
beginning, and on which were engraved and set forth the Great 
and Glorious Name, and the ten signs which had smitten the 
Mizraee, and the three fathers of the world, and the six moth- 
ers, and the twelve tribes of Jacob. 

"And straightway the Lord brought a vehement east wind 



16 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

upon the sea all night, and made the sea dry ; and divided the 
waters into twelve divisions according to the twelve tribes of 
Jacob. And the children of Israel went through the sea upon 
the ground, and the waters were congealed like a wall. 

"And the Mizraee followed and went in after them, all the 
horses of Pharaoh and his chariots and his horsemen, into the 
midst of the sea. And it was at the morning watch, at the 
time that the powers on high came to offer praise, the Lord 
looked forth with anger upon the hosts of the Mizraee, from 
the column of fire, to hurl upon them fire and hail, and to con- 
found the hosts of the Mizraee ; and He unloosed the wheels 
of their carriages, so they went dragging them after them ; 
the mules going their way before the wheels, were turned so 
that the wheels went before the mules, and they were cast into 
the sea. 

" The Mizraee answered and said one to another, let us flee 
from before the people of the sons of Israel ; for this is the 
Word of the Lord who worketh victory for them in their bat- 
tles, so that they set the back against Mizraim. 

"And Mosheh stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the 
sea returned and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, 
and all the hosts of Pharaoh who had come in after them into 
the sea ; and not one among them was left. But the sons of 
Israel w T alked on the ground in the midst of the sea, and the 
waters were to them as walls on their right hand and on their left. 
That day the Lord redeemed and saved Israel from the hand 
of the Mizraee ; and Israel saw the Mizraee dead, and not dead, 
cast upon the shore of the sea. And Israel saw the power of 
the Mighty Hand by which the Lord had wrought the miracles 
in Mizraim. And the people feared before the Lord, and be- 
lieved in the name of the Word of the Lord, and in the proph- 
esies of Mosheh, His servant." 

THE SONG OF TRIUMPH. 

" The exultation that followed," continued Achmed, "has 



achmed's story. 17 

been variously expressed by our people, and they may well be 
pardoned any enthusiasm they may ascribe to this redeemed 
multitude." So the Targums continue : 

"Then sang Mosheh and the sons of Israel; thanksgiving 
and praise we bring before the Lord most high, who is glorified 
above the glorious, and exalted above the exalted ; who pun- 
isheth by His Word whosoever glorifieth himself above Him. 

"Pharaoh- the wicked, the hater and adversary, did say, I 
will follow after the people the sons of Israel, and I will 
overtake them encamped by the side of the sea. I will lead 
them captive into great captivity, and despoil them of great 
spoil. I will divide their substance among my men of war ; and 
when my soul shall be satisfied with them, I will sheathe my 
sword when I shall have destroyed them with my right hand. 

"The chariots of Pharaoh and his hosts hath He cast into 
the sea ; the goodliest of his young men hath He thrown 
and drowned in the sea of Suph. Thy right hand, O Lord, 
how glorious it is in power ! Thy right hand, O Lord, hath 
cut off the adversaries of Thy people, who rose against them 
to do them hurt. 

"The nations will hear and be afraid. Terror will lay 
hold upon them, even upon all the pillars of the inhabitants 
of the Palestinian land. Behold, then will the princes of 
Edomaee be confounded, the strong ones of Moaba will be 
seized with fear, their hearts within them will melt away. 
Even all the pillars of the Kenaanian land. 

"Through the power of Thy mighty arm let the terrors 
of death fall upon them ; let them be silent as a stone, till 
the time when Thy people, O Lord, shall have passed the 
streams of Arnona; till the time when Thy people, whom 
Thou didst ransom, shall have crossed the dividing current 
of Jabeca, and that of Jardena. 

1 ' Thou wilt bring them in and plant them in the moun- 
tain of Thy sanctuary, the place which Thou hast provided 

2 



18 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

before the throne of Thy glory; the house of Thy holy She- 
kinah, which Thou, O Lord, hast prepared ; Thy sanctuary, 
which with both hands Thou hast established. 

"The sons of Israel answered and said one to another, 
come, let us set the crown upon the head of the Kedeemer, 
who cause th to pass over, but is not passed ; who changeth, 
but is not changed ; the King of Kings in this world ; whose 
too, is the crown of the kingdom of the world to come, and 
whose it will be forever and forever. 

"And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a 
tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out after 
her, dancing with tambourines and -playing on instruments. 
And Miriam sang to them : let us give thanks and praise 
before the Lord, for might and supremacy are His; above 
the proud He is glorified, and above the lofty He is exalted.''' 



JOURNEYING IN THE DESERT. 19 



CHAPTER III. 

Journeying in the Desert — Some Notable Places 
Passed — A Night among the Mountains — A Con- 
versation upon the Manna. 

We are now fairly started upon our pilgrimage, and 
are journeying in the desert of God's marvelous mani- 
festations. Our path lies directly along the track of the 
chosen people. We make a short stop at the Wells of 
Moses ; encamp for a night at the bitter fountain of Marah. 
where Moses SAveetened the waters for the murmuring 
people ; stopped for a noonday lunch at Elim, where 
were twelve wells of water, and three score and ten palm 
trees. We pass the place of the encampment by the sea; 
cross the wilderness of Sin, and turning from the sea, 
enter the great mountain range by the gate " Wady Shel- 
lal." A few turns in the narrow defiles and the lofty 
mountains encircle us, and completely shut us in. 

We are now on hallowed ground. We travel in the 
pathway where God led His redeemed people. Along 
every valley, on every hill-top. and highest mountain 
peak, the burning cloud has rolled its effulgent light — the 
symbol of God's guiding, overshadowing presence ! 
• Among these mountain ramparts we encamp for the 
night. A long day's ride made rest acceptable, and re- 
freshment a necessity. A table was literally spread for 
us in the desert, not, to be sure, by the immediate hand 
of God, but we all felt by whatever agency it came, He 



20 HAM-MLSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

was the author of all our blessings, and that we could lift 
up grateful and adoring hearts to Him. 

The repast over, Abdallah had removed the cloth from 
the camp-table, but we still lingered, talking of the events 
that had made this place a wonder of the world. 

The Manna. 

" Has it occurred to you," says one, " that we have 
passed to-day over the wilderness of Sin, the eighth 
encampment of Israel, where Grod first fed them with 
manna ? " 

The Bible was opened, and the narrative from the six- 
teenth chapter of Exodus read. The people at first sub- 
sisted upon what they had brought with them from Egypt; 
these supplies exhausted, they began to murmur against 
Moses for bringing them into this wilderness to perish. 
Jehovah hushed the tumult of the people, first by a re- 
splendent display of His glory, and then by the promise 
that they should have bread and meat in abundance. The 
quails covered the camp in the evening, and in the morn- 
ing, when the dew went up, there lay upon the ground a 
small round thing, strange in appearance, and wonderful 
in abundance. And when the children of Israel saw it 
they said man-hoo ; in our translation, what is it ? And 
Moses said, " This is the bread the Lord hath given you." 
And they called it man-hoo — manna. 

" Will the Rabbi," said one, " please give us his opin- 
ion of the manna and its lessons to his people ? " 

" I may differ with you in many things," was the reply, 
" but to me the manna has many voices. Israel was Je- 
hovah's inheritance, and for His inheritance He always 
provides. They who found a road through these desert 



THE MANNA. 21 

paths did eat angel's food, for the angel of Jehovah 
spread the table." 

" Some say manna was a natural product ofHhe wilder- 
ness," said I. 

" No," replied Achmed. " Men can not understand 
the ways of Jehovah, nor measure the fullness of His re- 
sources. The manna was a miracle — a stupendous miracle. 
It had a mysterious origin. It had never been heard of 
before, it has never been seen since. It was Jehovah 
omnipotent, omnipresent, in the midst of His people." 

" But some say," continued I, " it can still be found 
in this desert, that it is the product of a plant known among 
the Arabs as Turfa, and among Frank travelers as Tam- 
arisk. I can show it to you to-morrow. It grows in 
clumps, like the elder, to the height of ten or fifteen 
feet. What the people of the present day call manna 
exudes from the leaves, occasioned, it is said, by the 
puncture of an insect. It has the appearance of gum, 
and melts when exposed to heat. "What is saved is gath- 
ered from the twigs ; what falls upon the ground is worth- 
less." 

" I have read of it," replied Achmed, " and talked 
with those who have seen it. The product of this plant 
is rather a drug, or medicine. The Arabs sometimes 
gather it, but whoever heard of their making a meal of 
it? Who can suppose, even for a moment, this was the 
food of Israel ? It may be called by the same name, but 
it has scarcely a single quality in common with the food 
of our fathers. Of the manna of the Exodus not a sin- 
gle word is said of its being the product of a bush. When 
the dew fell upon the camp the manna fell upon it. When 
the dew was gone up, behold there lay upon the ground 
a small round tiling — not under the bushes, not adhering 



22 HAM-MISHKANj THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

to the leaves, not in a few detached localities, but scat- 
tered in amazing profusion all through the camp." 

" There were many other wonderful things connected 
with it," said Elnathan ; " it spoiled if they attempted to 
keep it the second day, except on the Sabbath, for which 
a double quantity was gathered on Friday ; it continued 
all through their journeyings till they encamped upon 
the plain of the Jordan, and ate the old corn of the 
land." 

" Do you think," inquired another, " that the manna 
was their only food ? " 

" They had their flocks and herds with them through 
all their itineracy," said Achmed. " From them they 
had to some extent supplies of milk and meat. They 
had animals for sacrifice, and flour and oil for the sanctu- 
ary. They kept up some intercourse with surrounding 
nations, and we learn from the Bible they were allowed 
to buy meat of the Edomites. Still in all those years 
the manna was their chief dependence. What a miracu- 
lous gift! What lessons of dependence upon the great 
Father of all ! " 

" On one other command," said I to the Rabbi, " teach 
us — the lesson of the manna in connection with the Sab- 
bath." 

" In what particular," inquired Ben Achmed. 

" The manna was to be gathered every morning, and 
would not keep but a single day. But on the sixth day, 
as Elnathan has said, a double quantity was to be gath- 
ered to supply the Sabbath ; and what increased the won- 
der, on any and every other clay, if a surplus quantity 
was gathered it spoiled and became offensive, but this 
quantity, reserved for the Sabbath, kept pure and sweet." 

"Wonderful, indeed," said Ben Achmed, "was this 



THE MANNA. 28 

miracle of the manna ! Had it been produced by natu- 
ral agencies it would have been found upon the seventh, 
as well as upon any other day of the week." 

" But why," interrupted one, " were they not to gather 
it on the Sabbath?" 

" Hear Moses," was the reply : " he was Jehovah's 
voice to the people. ' It is the rest of the holy Sabbath 
unto the Lord.' Ex. xvi, 23. When Jehovah finished 
the work of creation He sanctified the seventh day as a 
day of holy rest. When He brought His people out of 
the house of bondage, it was to them a new creation, and 
the lesson of the seventh day was again enforced. When 
Jehovah spake in the majesty of His Word from the 
grandeur of the burning mount, it was : ' Remember the 
Sabbath day to keep it holy.' Now, by a threefold 
^weekly miracle did the Lord enforce His command — dou- 
ble the quantity of manna fell on the sixth day — none 
fell on the seventh — that which was kept over for the 
seventh did not corrupt. 

" Thus men are taught to sanctify Jehovah's time of 
holy rest. Golden day! Rich legacy of the Divin > 
Father wrested from the pollutions of the days. A day 
when the heavens and the earth embrace each other, and 
man communes with his Maker. A day to be observed 
through all the generations of earth — better to Israel 
than any when they sat by the caldrons of flesh in Miz- 
raim." 

The Rabbi paused, and a brief silence followed ; not 
that there was any dissent, for all heartily concurred in 
his words. He had spoken for Israel, and was jealous 
for the honor of Moses. The company he addressed had 
been pupils of another teacher. To them there were 
profounder mysteries in these miracles of the wander- 



24 HAM-MISHKAN. THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

ings. A greater than Moses was unfolding to them les- 
sons of deeper spiritual significance. They thought of 
Christ, the hidden manna — the bread of God, dropped 
into the broad wilderness of the world for the life of the 
nations. Would their new associate think it discourte- 
ous should they express sentiments an Israelite might 
not accept? 

Elnathan was the first to break the silence : 

" Rabbi, thou hast spoken well ; but some of us have 
sat at the feet of a teacher we think greater than Moses. 
Shall we speak of mysteries revealed through the All- 
Atoning One ? " 

" Our fathers," said Achmed, " had the altar of atone- 
ment ; we go to stand upon the ground where it was 
once erected. How I shall delight, from that once hal- 
lowed spot, to gaze into the deep heavens to which the 
smoke of the burning sacrifice ascended. Speak as you 
please. Men call me Rabbi, but there are many lessons 
I have yet to learn. For this I left my home ; for this 
I am a wanderer in this desert. Wisdom is more to me 
than rubies ; Jehovah help me to gather the pearls of 
truth. What to you are the lessons of the manna of my 
fathers, so strangely gathered on this very soil ? " 

Elnathan continued : 

" There was a mystery about this bread of the desert 
that remains to this very day unexplained. And they 
said, 'Man-hoo, what is this? for they knew not what 
it was.' — Ex. xvi, 15. Who to-day knows more than 
they? The learned have investigated, the curious have 
questioned, and still the query comes, 'What is this?' 
And who, after more than three thousand years, can tell 
us more than Moses did : ' This is the bread the Lord 
hath given you to eat ' ? " 



THE MANNA. 25 

"What lesson," said Achmed, " would you gather from 
that?" 

" In after times there stood among the people one who 
said : ' Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and 
are dead. I am the living bread that came down from 
heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for- 
ever.' We see in this manna of the wilderness a type 
of the Messiah, the living bread, with which God feeds 
His spiritual Israel. What do the people know of Him 
more than they knew of this wonderful bread of the wil- 
derness ! How mysterious his advent — dropped as it 
were from heaven into this wilderness world ! How He 
surprised the rulers and the scribes, the ignorant and the 
learned ! Delegations were sent from rulers and priests- 
to inquire, ' Who art thou? ' He came unto His own, and 
His own knew Him not. The multitudes gathered about 
Him, and listened and wondered. ' Man-hoo, what is 
this ? ' was heard from every side : and the most they 
could learn was the lesson of the desert — ' I am the liv- 
ing bread that came down from heaven, given for the life 
of the world.' " 

"And still," interrupted another, "the great mystery 
remains yet unsolved. Millions do come to Him and feed 
on Him, and their spiritual wants are supplied ; and yet 
the questioning goes on. The learned investigate ; books 
are written, men dispute, and still the question is heard, 
' Man-hoo, what is this ? ' Who, and what art thou? " 

All eyes were turned upon the Rabbi, anxious to know 
how he would receive such allusions to the Son of God. 

" I shall not question with you now," said he. " The 
promise of Jehovah, blessed be His holy name, is a rock 
on which we all may rest. He will provide for all He 
3 



26 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

undertakes to lead. If he provides for the perishable 
body here, He will provide for the life of the undying 
soul; and it is not for man to dictate the channels 
through which His benefactions come. If thou hast bread 
to eat I know not of, may I be led to the tabernacle of 
revelation." 

"Another lesson," continued Elnathan, "has often im- 
pressed me — the quantity of manna to which each man 
was restricted. One omer for each day was all that one 
man could have. If he gathered more, the surplus was 
of no use — it spoiled upon his hands ; if he gathered less, 
the deficiency was made up to him in the general distri- 
bution. So with us, spiritually, when Christ becomes 
the bread of life. He is the one Omer full that satisfies 
all our wants, and He alone is sufficient for every one. 
The man may be poor, afflicted, destitute ; but, if he 
feeds on Christ, the spiritual manna, he will have a full 
supply — will lack nothing essential to his enjoyment, or 
salvation. On the other hand, there may be rank, honor, 
riches and dignity, but they add nothing to the essential 
wealth of the spiritual man. All these worldly distinc- 
tions are so many redundancies that will be worthless 
when we stand before God. The plain, simple garment 
of the Christian faith, the one pure robe of Christ's 
righteousness, is enough. You may add to this the cer- 
emonies and burdens of the law; you may dignify it 
with the pomp and ceremony of earthly rituals ; you may 
visit magnificent temples and worship at the shrines of 
costly cathedrals — but you add nothing of essential 
value. All these external appendages the human heart 
is so prone to love — that beguile so many from the sim- 
plicity of gospel faith — are all unnecessary incumbrances 
that must, in the end, be laid aside. The poor man, dis- 



THE MANNA. 27 

tressed with poverty, and burdened with care and toil — 
that pines in obscurity, or takes the lowest seat in the 
house of God — if he feeds on the spiritual manna, has 
his omer full — has just as much of Christ as the mitered 
priest who waits at the altar, or the lordly pontiff ar- 
rayed in gorgeous robes, officiating in the light of con- 
secrated candles, and amid the perfume of fragrant 
incense. Even such ones are but lost and dependent sin- 
ners — need but Christ — can have but one Christ — and 
though they may add all these magnificent appendages, 
when the day is over, and they stand in the presence of 
the Great Judge of all, this fancied surplus of salvation's 
requisites will be found as useless and worthless as the 
overplus of manna in the omer of the Israelite." 

During all this conversation Jason, another of the 
company, sat listening with deep attention. As Elna- 
than concluded, he broke out in exclamation : 

" How compassionate is God ! How He bears with our 
murmurings ! How prompt to supply our wants ! He 
can cover the barren desert with food, and cause springs 
to break out in dry places. Daily He fed His people; 
day by day He teaches us to ask our daily bread. I see 
God's hand in the manna of the wilderness ; I see it in 
the richer blessings of the spiritual manna, the bread of 
God, given for all the world. God holds our blessings in 
His own storehouse — there they are safe ; He will give us- 
as we need. What a wide spread table ! And God keeps, 
open house. The many thousands of Israel were fur- 
nished without money and without price. Ho, ye hun- 
gering and thirsting, come to the banquet of salvation I 
God help us to sanctify His Sabbath ! The burdens of 
the week will be lighter ; its blessings brighter. Let us 
lay up a pot of manna in the ark for a memorial, eaten. 



28 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

"bread must not be forgotten. ' To him that overcometh 
I will give to eat of the hidden manna.' ' : 

The conversation upon the manna continued to a late 
hour. Many points of resemblance were traced between 
the manna of the desert and Christ the bread of life 
given for a famishing world. To the spiritual mind, it 
was a feast refreshing as the manna to hungering Is- 
rael : to all of which the Rabbi listened with deep atten- 
tion. 

As they were about to retire, prayer was proposed. 

" Art thou a priest to offer incense upon the golden 
altar ? " said Ben Achmed. 

"Aye," said one ; " and more than a priest. The tem- 
ple is in ruins, its altars desolate ; but they are no longer 
necessary. The humble heart is Jehovah's shrine, from 
which the oblation may ascend. The true worshipers 
worship in spirit and in truth ; God is every-where." 

" Thou hast taken away the manna — resolved it into 
the Divine Son ; wilt thou take the altar and temple 
also ? " 

" We will give you richer than you take. If we take 
the shadow, we will give you the substance." 

The Evening Prayer. 

Thou Eternal Father! Thou who didst bring Thy 
chosen from the bondage of Egypt, and open these heav- 
ens to give them bread, how great are Thy compassions ! 
how wonderful Thy ways ! 

As we come into the desert of the wanderings ; as we 
walk in the pathway of the redeemed, where Thou didst 
lead them toward the promised land, may Ave journey 
under the protection of the same Jehovah, and be guided 
by the same hand. 



THE MANNA. 29 

Here Thou didst feed thy hungry ones from heaven I 
feed our fainting souls with the bread of life. In this 
parched and thirsty land may we find the streams of sal- 
vation, and be refreshed from living fountains. Thou 
that savest by Thy right hand them that put their trust 
in Thee, show us Thy great loving kindness, and keep us 
this night, and in all our journeyings, under the shadow 
of Thy wings. Be with us in all these wilderness places, 
and lead us into an enlarged knowledge of Thy ways, and 
into a deeper understanding of Thy truth. 

Make us to know Him whom Thou hast declared unto 
the world — the living bread that came down from heaven, 
given for the life of the world. May we find in Him the 
heavenly manna that drops in blessing upon Thy people, 
all along their pathway toward the land of rest. Spread 
our table and fill our cup, and comfort us with Thy bounty 
from day to day. 

We rejoice that God still has a people, and that the 
manna has not ceased to fall. The wilderness and the 
solitary place are still refreshed by Thy presence, and 
they that hunger and thirst after righteousness are 
filled. 

Thou All-Present One ! as we lie down upon our 
beds to rest, may our slumbers be refreshing and quiet. 
Thou makest Thine angels spirits, and Thy ministers a 
flame of fire. Thousand thousands of them stand before 
Thee ; and ten thousand times ten thousand minister 
unto Thee, and hasten to do Thy pleasure. As the an- 
gel of Thy presence was with Thy people, so may it b& 
with us. Prosper Thou us in this our mission; unfold to 
us the hidden mysteries of Thine oracle ; open our eyes 
to the beauties and glories of Thy sanctuary, and bring 



30 HAM-MISHEAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

us at last to the eternal temple not made with hands, to 
join the countless hosts of the New Jerusalem. 

And to Thee will we ascribe honor and majesty, power 
and glory forever. Amen. 

Never a watch, on the dreariest halt, 

But some promise of love endears ; 
I read from the past that my future shall be 

Far better than all my fears. 
Like the golden pot of the wilderness bread 

Laid up with the blossoming rod, 
All safe in the ark with the Law of the Lord 

Is the covenant care of my God. 



CONVERSATIONS BY THE WAY. 31 



CHAPTER IV. 

Conversations by the Way — The Wood of the Taber- 
nacle — Encampment at Sinai — The Mission of 
Moses — A Sabbath Day — The Giving of the Law. 

The morning sun looked in upon us from over the 
mountain heights. We were early upon our way, toiling 
up rough ascents, and winding through mountain gorges. 
The towering summits rising in majestic altitudes about 
us were of strange and varied colors ; sometimes lofty 
peaks of red porphery resting upon a dark green base, 
occasionally varied with strata of black or red. 

We passed the valley of the written rocks, where an 
unknown people have left their records upon the endur- 
ing tablets of stone, but among these we had no time to 
linger. 

Many an interesting conversation gave light wings to 
the weary hours of travel. We talked of the patriarchs 
of Moses, of the miracles of the Exodus. Achmed often 
gave us some surprise from the rich stores of his Rab- 
binical knowledge, as well as from the apparent spiritual- 
ity of his experiences. None of us had yet inquired how 
far he had drank into the mysteries of the Word of Je- 
hovah, the Memra of which he had so often spoken. For 
he still continued to maintain a quiet reserve when al- 
lusion was made to these things. 

His temperament was ardent and impulsive, warm and 
emotional. In simplicity and purity he seemed to have 
the humility of a child. He entered freely into our con- 



32 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

versations upon the great work of the world's redemp- 
tion, and his soul seemed to kindle with the higher in- 
spirations of a divine life. We sometimes wondered if 
he had not already found the richness of redeeming love ; 
the true spiritual manna. 

An abrupt turn in our road brought us directly in 
front of Serbal, one of the boldest and grandest of the 
Sinaitic mountains. We were now in wady Feiran, 
" The paradise of the Bedouin," a beautiful, and, for 
this section, a fertile valley, lying between bleak and 
naked mountains, which flank it for miles on either side. 
Some have endeavored to identify it with Rephidim 
where Amalek contended against Israel, and Moses' in- 
tercession with God so signally prevailed. 

How interesting to move along these majestic high- 
ways of Israel's God ! Through this valley the tribes 
marched in triumphal procession toward the mount of 
the Law. Through the valley flows a copious stream of 
water ; strange contrast with the sterility that for days 
had seemed so oppressive. 

Ben Achmed broke the silence : 

" How refreshing are these streams in the midst of the 
desert !" Jehovah can make the wilderness bud and blos- 
som as the rose. The solitary place He makes glad, and 
the barren land rejoices at' His visitations. Messiah 
cometh and the waters of salvation shall flow through all 
the earth The river of God shall be full of water, and 
unto it shall nations gather." 

" Has the fountain," said I, " been opened ? Hast thou 
found the Messiah of the nations ? Has the feast yet 
heen made ready ? " 

" Whom didst thou see," replied Achmed, " in the 
mystery of the manna? Has bread ceased from the 



CONVERSATIONS BY THE WAY. 33 

earth? Were there not twelve fountains at Elim, a 
fountain for every tribe ; seventy palm trees, answering 
to the seventy elders of Israel ? What meant the ever 
present loaves on the golden table of the sanctuary ? 
Jehovah's ministrations are always full ? " 

" Yes," was the reply, " it was so for Israel, it shall 
be so for the whole world. God is the one father of us 
all." " Behold," says He, " I make all things new ; the 
Shekinah shall shed His light, not for one people, but for 
all nations. The Redeemer shall stand upon the 
mountain tops, and the whole earth be made resplendent 
with His glory." 

" How," continued Achmed, " does Elohim make the 
new heavens and the new earth ? Who will give us light ? 
We go to visit the Tabernacle of witness ; shall we find the 
Anointed One there ? Can we build again the bleeding 
altar ? Will Jehovah ask the bullock and the lamb, or 
has He provided a better sacrifice ? 

" The Lord God of thy father Abraham will teach 
us." 

" How shall we know His voice ? Can we put again 
the urim and the thummim in the breastplate of the high 
priest ? Will the cloud overshadow us, or Bathkol answer 
from behind the sacred curtains ? " 

" Jehovah," replied Elnathan, " hath spoken in clearer 
utterances. He hath given us a more sure word of 
prophecy. Seek and ye shall find." 

" I rest in hope," said the Rabbi. " The waters of 
Marah shall be made sweet. The river of peace shall 
bless the earth, the olive shall be shaken, and the vintage 
shall be full, and the people shall sing for the majesty of 
the Lord our God, and the isles of the sea shall re- 
joice." 



34 IIAM-M T SHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

The Wood of the Tabernacle. 

The sun was high in the heavens, and from his cloud- 
less throne poured his burning rays upon the barren 
sands. Hassan ' had spread his noonday lunch in the 
shade of a solitary tree that seemed, from its scanty foli- 
age, to be battling with the sterility of the desert for a 
bare subsistence. 

" Have you noticed," said one, " the tree under which 
we are resting ? It is the wild acacia, one variety of 
which, if not this very kind, is generally believed to be 
the shittim wood of the Bible from which Moses directed 
the boards, pillars and furniture of the Tabernacle to be 
made. It is a thorn-bearing tree, much resembling some 
varieties of our American locust." 

" It is classed among the useful trees," said another. 
" Isaiah, rehearsing the promises of God, says : ' I will 
plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, the 
myrtle, and the oil tree.' " 

" Look," said I, " at its matted clumps of thorns, and 
its thick masses of tangled foliage. It is these, Stanley 
tells us, probably suggested the plural form of the name 
in the Hebrew. The Egyptians, he says, call it ' sont,'- 
and it every-where represents the ' seneh ' or senneh of 
the burning bush, and the shittim wood of the Taber- 
nacle. Our version leaves the Hebrew name untrans- 
lated, but the Septuagint translates it ' incorruptible 
wood.' More recent works call it acacia." 

Arrival at Sinai. 
Saturday evening, the sixth day from Suez, we pitched 
our tents upon the plain of Rahah, at the base of Sinai, 
the Mount of God. The bold front of Horeb was 



ARRIVAL AT SINAI. 35 

directly before us, rising in majestic grandeur, an almost 
perpendicular wall of more than two thousand feet in 
height. Our evening repast was soon over, for the 
desert furnishes no sumptuous banquet. As we lingered 
around the table, the conversation naturally turned upon 
the wonderful place of our encampment, and the aston- 
ishing events that brought hither pilgrims from all parts 
of the world. 

" Some of us," I ventured to remark, " have for years 
anticipated a visit to this mount of the Law ; this place 
made memorable by the astounding revelations of God. 
Here we are where Moses led his flocks, where he com- 
muned with God, where he was transfixed with amaze- 
ment at the wonders of the burning bush. Here, from 
his long retirement of forty years, he returned to the 
scenes of his early life ; to the royal palace of the 
Pharaohs, armed with a commission and vested with an 
authority never before vouchsafed to mortal man." 

" Did it ever occur to any of you," said Rabbi Ben 
Achmed, " how Mosheh spent that forty years of seclu- 
sion among these mountain retreats ? " 

" The Bible tells us," said I, " he was a shepherd, and 
led his flocks among these secluded valleys." 

"It is not probable," was the reply, " that a man of 
Mosheh' s opportunities and education, genius and judg- 
ment, energy and enterprise, was content to do nothing, 
during what would now be a life-time, in simply caring 
for the bleating flocks of the Rabbi of Midian ? Mosheh 
was no idler. He was a scholar and a student, a general 
and a statesman, trained to high and noble deeds. He 
loved his people ; he knew the bitterness of their bond- 
age ; he saw a great work to be done. As rose up the 
mountain peaks about him, so towered the mighty work 



36 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

of their redemption. During all these long years he 
was, no doubt, revolving and planning the great achieve- 
ment that at last culminated in the joyful emancipation, 
the giving of the law, and the building of the Tabernacle 
— a new era in the revelations of God. His return to 
Mizraim was no sudden inspiration, but the result of a 
long-contemplated and well-matured plan. He studied 
and compiled his laws under the guidance of Jehovah, 
and it was not until after years of careful study under 
the immediate tuition of the All-wise One — years of ma- 
ture thought, and wise and prudent planning, that he was 
prepared to enter upon the great work, and become the 
leader of his people and the great lawgiver of the world. 
Like a prudent general, too, I have no doubt his plans 
for aggression and defense were all deeply studied. He 
knew the nations about him, and made himself familiar 
with their location and strength. He studied the coun- 
try through which he must pass ; knew the hills and the 
valleys and the mountain passes. He, no doubt, visited 
the land of promise, and traversed it in all its length and 
breadth, and knew just how to direct his successor, 
Joshua, in leading the people into its possession, and 
now to divide it among the tribes. He had had forty 
years' experience at the court of Pharaoh ; was learned 
in all the wisdom and arts of the Mizraee ; he was here 
forty years under the tuition of Jehovah, and had sought 
opportunity for consultation with the wisest minds of his 
age, and now, a son of eighty years, he was prepared to 
present himself again at the court of Pharaoh, and de- 
mand with intelligence and authority the release of his 
people. Wonderful man ! Wonderful, indeed, the events 
that have made this place prominent in the world's 
history." 



THE SABBATH DAWN. 37 

At last, when the time for action came, Jehovah called 
from the brightness of the bush, " Mosheh, Mosheh !" 
and he said, "Behold me." And Jehovah said, "Ap- 
proach me not; take thy shoe from thy foot, for the 
place on which thou standest is a holy place, and upon it 
thou art to receive the law to teach it to the sons of Is- 
rael." And Mosheh covered his face, for he was afraid 
to look upon the height of the glory of the Shekinah of 
the Lord. 

And Jehovah said, " Manifest before me is the bondage 
and misery of my people. Mine eye hath seen the 
bruising whereby the Mizraee hath bruised them. To 
thee I reveal myself that by My Word they may be de- 
livered ; and thou shalt bring them out of the unclean 
land, unto a good and a large in its boundaries, a land 
yielding milk and honey." And when Mosheh com- 
plained of his lame and staggering speech and his want 
of authority, Jehovah promised him Aaron, his brother, 
and taught him to say to the inquiring ones, " The I am, 
He who is, axd who will be — Eheyeh hath sent me 
unto you." And Jehovah said, " Ye will be hindered 
there until I have set forth the stroke of my power, and 
have smitten the Mizraee with all my wonders that I will 
be among them ; and afterward He will release you." 
Such was the call that led Mosheh back to the land of 
his birth, and to the strange scenes that ended in the 
exodus of an enslaved nation. 

The Sabbath Dawn. 

The morning of the Christian Sabbath dawned upon 

us, giving promise of a beautiful day. As the full-orbed 

sun rose in majesty over the mountains and looked into 

the valley of the encampment, our thoughts were turned 



68 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

upon the more glorious Sun of Righteousness, rising 
from the darkness of the tomb, giving to the, world the 
light of life, and the more cheering assurance of immor- 
tality. 

The mountain that towered above us, now bathed in 
golden light, was once kindled by the radiant presence 
of Jehovah God, as He came down in the presence of all 
people. The morning devotions were inspired by the 
sublime scenery and the remembrance of the visitations 
of God that had here been witnessed. 

During the day a visit was made to the Convent of St. 
Catharine that stands at the base of the mountain. A 
few Christian monks here keep their solitary vigils, and 
daily, in this strange solitude, chant the praises of the 
Son of God. Within their inclosure is shown the re- 
puted well of Jethro, and a chapel marks the spot of the 
Burning Bush. The absurd legends of these devotees 
aside, it seems appropriate that this secluded place should 
be made vocal by the praises of that God by whose visi- 
tations it was once made fearful and glorious. From the 
place where stood the golden altar, the incense of praise 
should still ascend to the heaven of heavens. 

The evening conversation turned upon some of the 
historic incidents connected with the place. 

" What a strange retreat," said one, " this must have 
been to Israel ; and what wonders they had seen by the 
way ! " Here, as one says, " within a sanctuary of tem- 
ples and pyramids not made with hands — the more awful 
from its total dissimilarity to any thing which they or 
their fathers had ever seen in Egypt or Palestine — here, 
to these wild fastnesses they had been led by the hand of 
God, and here they could remain in almost utter seclu- 
sion from the world." 



THE SABBATH DAWN. 39 

" We have come here," said I, " to make the ascent of 
the mountain ; to walk in Moses' steps ; to stand where 
he stood in solemn audience with the Deity. Let us in- 
vite the Rabbi to give us an account of Moses' interview 
with Jehovah upon the mount ; the scene of the giving 
of the law, and the directions for the building of the 
Tabernacle." 

U I have often," said Ben Achmed, "read the account, 
and been impressed not only with the grandeur of the 
scene, but also with the sublimity and simplicity of the 
description. It was very soon after the encampment 
upon this plain Mosheh received a special call to go up 
and meet God upon the mount. Twice he ascended and 
held audience with the Deity. The first two interviews 
seem to have been only to prepare the way for that sub- 
lime and terrible exhibition Jehovah was about to make 
of Himself in the presence of all the people. Mosheh, 
then under divine direction, brought together all the 
elders of Israel and rehearsed before them all the words 
of the Almighty ; what they had witnessed of His won- 
ders in their deliverance from Mizraim, and how they 
had been led by the angel of His presence in the wilder- 
ness. 

" He taught them if they would now obey the voice of 
Jehovah, and keep His commandments, Israel should be 
to Him a peculiar treasure. He would make of them a 
holy nation — a kingdom of priests. He also taught them 
that Jehovah was about to reveal Himself to the people 
in a wonderful manner — a display of glory and majesty 
such as had never before been witnessed. 

" For this august visit of their great Ruler preparations 
were immediately made and the appointed precautions 
taken. Boundaries were set about the mount, which the 



40 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

people were forbidden to pass under the penalty of death ; 
for if so much as a beast touched the mountain it should 
die. The people were commanded to purify themselves 
and be ready against the third day. With pure bodies, 
and pure garments, they were to be ready when Jehovah 
their King — King of all kings — would make his descent 
in cloud and fire, and give them such. tokens of His pres- 
ence and glory that they should see and believe forever. 
Upon the first sounding of the trumpet, which was the 
signal for approaching the mountain, Mosheh brought the 
people out of the camp, and as near the mountain as the 
prescribed boundaries would permit. The astonishing 
revelations of Jehovah were now made visible. The 
lofty summit of Sinai was covered with fire and smoke, 
and was altogether flaming before the revelation of the 
Lord upon it, while the whole mountain trembled to its 
base Lightnings flashed from out the darkness, and 
heavy thunders rolled along the heavens. The trumpet 
sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, while fear 
seized upon the people, and all the camp of Israel trem- 
bled. The cloud concealed the glorious majesty of Je- 
hovah, so that the people saw no similitude of the Holy 
One, but from the mingled fire and darkness was heard 
the voice of the Lord God Omnipotent, and the Ten 
Words, or the Ten Commandments, were audibly pro- 
nounced in the hearing of all the people. 

" One of our Targums expresses this in the bold and 
highly figurative language with which our sacred books 
abound. ' The first word [meaning the first command- 
ment] from the mouth of the Holy One, whose name be 
blessed, was like storms and lightnings and flames of fire, 
with a burning light on His right hand and on His left. 
It winged its way through the air of the heavens, and was 



THE SABBATH DAWN. 41 

manifest in the camp of Israel, and returned, and was 
engraved on the tables of the covenant that were given 
by the hand of Mosheh.' 

" So one of the eminent Rabbis, Jochanan, speaking 
of the law, held that it was intelligible in every language. 
He says every word of the decalogue that went forth 
from the mouth of the Holy One divided itself into sev- 
enty languages — meaning the language of all nations. 
This, of course, is parable ; but a great truth lies beneath 
it. These ten commandments do speak a universal lan- 
guage. They address themselves to the conscience and 
moral sense of all people. 

"And all Mount Sinai was in flame, for the heavens 
had overspread it, because the glory of the Shekinah of 
the Lord was revealed upon it as Jehovah uttered the law 
of the Ten Words. And when the people saw the light- 
nings, and the mountain altogether fuming before the 
Lord, and the glory coming forth from the midst of the 
lights, and heard the thunders, and the trumpets as it 
will raise the dead, even Mosheh said, ' I exceedingly 
fear and quake,' and all the people drew back with affright, 
and stood afar off, and said unto Mosheh, ' Speak thou 
with us and we can hear ; but let it not be spoken with us 
any more from before the Lord, lest we die.' 

"After this revelation of the Ten Words, Mosheh again 
Went up to communion with Jehovah upon the mount, 
and received from Him many other laws, ceremonial and 
political, for the ordering of the Common Wealth ; de- 
signed to give all classes the enjoyment of their rights to 
secure life, property and all civil privileges. 

" Mosheh reduced these laws and precepts to writing, 
and gave them to the people, with a solemn exhortation 
4 



42 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

that if they were obedient Jehovah would send His 
angel before them to prepare the way and bring them 
to the appointed and promised habitation ; saying, ' I 
will be the foe of thy foes, and the enemy of thine ene- 
mies. I will trouble them that trouble thee and will make 
all thine enemies turn back from before thee. I will 
drive out the Kenanaee, and the Amoraee, and the Jebu- 
saee, and I will set thy boundaries from the Sea of 
Suph to the Sea of Philistaee, and from the desert unto 
Pherat.' 

"After this, Jehovah appointed yet another interview 
with Mosheh upon the mount. The Targum says the 
command came by Michael the Prince of Wisdom. In 
this interview he was not to go alone as he had done be- 
fore. He was commanded to take with him Aaron, Na- 
dab, and Abihu, and with them seventy of the Elders of 
Israel. These were to remain and worship the Lord at 
a distance, while Mosheh alone drew near to more inti- 
mate audience with Jehovah. 

" This ascent was preceded by solemn ministrations, 
and the confirmation of the covenant ; the people accept- 
ing and binding themselves to obedience. Mosheh wrote 
the words of the law, and in the early morning light he 
built an altar at the lower part of the mountain, and ap- 
pointed twelve stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. 
The Tabernacle had not yet been set up, nor the priest- 
hood given to Aaron. So the first-born of the sons of 
Israel — young men — offered burnt offerings, and set ob- 
lations of oxen, and calves, and goats before the Lord. 
And Mosheh took the blood of the offerings and put it in 
basins. 

" And when he had brought the Book of the Covenant 
of the Law, and read before the people, all the people 



THE GIVING OF THE LAW. 43 

said : ' The word which the Lord hath spoken we will as- 
suredly perform, and be obedient.' And with half the 
blood Mosheh sprinkled the altar, and the residue he 
sprinkled upon the book, and upon all the people, with 
scarlet wool and hyssop, and said : ' Behold, the blood of 
the Covenant which Jehovah hath made with you con- 
cerning all these words.' 

" How solemn and impressive the scene ! The solem- 
nity of the Covenant; the majesty of Jehovah; the glory 
upon the Mount! Upon one side the eternal I Am, upon 
the other a great nation. The altar was the Lord's sym- 
bol in the camp ; the twelve stones were the twelve 
tribes; the elders gathering about them the representa- 
tives of the people. The blood was the life. It was Je- 
hovah declaring by His life — ' as I live, saith the Lord' — 
that He would be their God ; it was a nation entering 
into solemn covenant with Him, pledging their lives to 
the fulfillment of the sacred compact ! 

" Mosheh, with the chosen company, now ascended a 
part of the way up the mountain. Here Jehovah made 
a wonderful display of His Divine power and majesty. 
They saw the God of Israel in His glory. By this we 
only understand that they had some glimpses of His Di- 
vine effulgence; for Jehovah was careful not to reveal 
any manner of similitude, lest the people might be 
tempted to imitate it. And beneath His feet there was, 
as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone, like the 
body of heaven in its clearness (Ex. xxiv, 10). They 
saw only what was beneath Him. If such was the maj- 
esty of His footstool, what conceptions can we form of 
the glory above and around Him? 

" One of our Targums makes a singular application of 
this sapphire splendor, using it as a memorial of the ser- 



44 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

vitucle, sad and debasing, in which the Mizraee had made 
the Children of Israel to serve in clay and bricks : as the 
women were tending the clay with their husbands, and 
tender maidens, were beaten down and made abortive. 
Therefore did Gabriel descending make brick, and going 
up to the heavens on high set it a footstool under the ca- 
thedra of the Lord of the whole world, whose splendor 
was as the work of a precious stone, and as the power 
and beauty of the heavens when the clouds have passed 
away. 

" The companions of Mosheh were not permitted to go 
near the cloud. Leaving them, and taking only Joshua, 
he went up higher toward the top of the mountain. 
* And the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord abode upon 
the mountain, and for six days the glory of the Lord cov- 
ered it, and Joshua was with Mosheh six days in the midst 
of the glory of Jehovah. On the seventh day the Lord 
called to Mosheh from the midst of the cloud, and Joshua 
was left behind, for Mosheh must stand alone in the midst 
of the radiant glory. And Mosheh entered into the thick 
cloud, and ascended the mountain. And the thick cloud 
opened in the sight of all Israel, and the appearance of 
the splendor and the glory of the Lord was as a burning 
light with flashes of devouring fire ; and the sons of Is- 
rael beheld and were awe-struck. And Mosheh was upon 
the mountain forty days and forty nights, and Jehovah 
was teaching him the words of the law, and he re- 
ceived the commandments from the mouth of the Holy 
One, whose name be praised.' " — Ex. xxiv, 13-18. 

As Rabbi Ben Achmed continued his narrative, his 
soul seemed to kindle with devout enthusiasm. His 
whole nature seemed stirred with the glory and grandeur 
of the scene, as though he was among the select com- 



THE MISSION OF MOSES. 45 

pany that stood upon the burning mount. Nor was it 
strange ; for, among all the scenes of which man has 
been a witness, where is the one that equals this in sub- 
lime and impressive grandeur ? Where the one that has 
been attended with such amazing phenomena? It was 
an exhibition of sublimity and glory such as only the 
King Omnipotent and Eternal could gather unto himself. 
Though his presence fills immensity, and his glory is al- 
ways about us, never before nor since has he so revealed 
the glory of his movements, and the burning grandeur 
of his pathway, as in this sublime display upon the 
mountain of the Law. 

" It was," continued the Rabbi, " in this long and con- 
tinued communion with Jehovah, that Mosheh received 
his instructions for the building of the Tabernacle — that 
wonderful structure to which our attention is now to be 
directed. Here the Lord revealed to him its size ; the 
court and the curtains ; its silver foundations ; its golden 
boards and pillars ; the candelabrum, table of show- 
bread, and golden altar of the holy place ; the ark, the 
mercy-seat, and the cherubim of the Holy of Holies ; 
and all that pertained to the oblations, the priesthood 
and the holy service." 

" To-morrow," said I, " we shall ascend the mountain ; 
perhaps along the very pathway where, more than three 
thousand years ago, Moses ascended to solemn audience 
with the Deity. With what deeper interest the wonders 
of this revelation will be invested, what fresh inspiration 
we shall gather, as we study the holy Tabernacle of God 
upon the mount where Moses sat under the tuition of his 
divine instructor, and on the plains where the enthusiasm 
of the people, and the skill of inspired workmen, has- 



46 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

tened the completion of a habitation for the God of Is- 
rael." 

The company listened with deep interest to the 
narration of the Rabbi. Their souls seemed to catch 
some of the enthusiasm that inspired his own. The 
lateness of the hour reminded them of the necessity 
of rest, and again they commended themselves to God. 

The Evening Prayer. 

Jehovah, our God and our Father, with souls bur- 
dened with a sense of Thy greatness and Thy glory we 
bow ourselves and look up to Thee. From the grandeur 
of this mountain height Thou didst announce Thy law, 
and proclaim Thyself the Lord God Omnipotent. Speak 
to us again not in terror; not in flames of consuming 
fire ; not in thunder tones that made Israel tremble, but 
in the tender whisperings of fatherly love. Jehovah, 
as this mountain lifts its majestic summit high into the 
heavens, so, high over all, Thou hast set Thy throne. 
Thou changest not, and Thy statutes are established for- 
ever. Here Thou didst wrap Thyself in clouds and 
darkness, and a consuming fire went before Thee, and 
Israel trembled at Thy presence ; now we may come 
with boldness, for Thou hast found a ransom, and with 
Thee there is mercy and redemption. All Thine attri- 
butes have become so many arms stretched abroad 
through all the universe to hold and protect those that 
come to Thee. 

As we lie down to rest we rejoice that there is One 
over us and above us, to whom the darkness is as the 
light, and whose unceasing vigils know no slumber. To 
Thee we bend the knee ; to Thee we lift our grateful and 



THE EVENING PRAYER. 47 

adoring hearts. As Thou wert the God of Israel as they 
gathered upon these plains, and built here their altars, 
so be our God, and make us to know Thy salvation. 
This mountain of Thy manifestation stands desolate 
and solitary, and Thy Tabernacle has fallen into decay, 
but Thou art forever the same. Make these desert 
solitudes to us a place of holy communion, from whence 
the pure incense of devout hearts shall ascend to Thy 
holy heavens. 

Jehovah, some of us walk in doubt and disquietude 
of soul; clouds darken the heavens above, and obscure 
our path beneath. We come to visit Thine altars; to 
seek instruction in Thine earthly sanctuary. Give us 
spiritual discernment, and uphold the hidden things of 
Thy revelation. Let the fiery rays of truth pierce 
the gloom, and stretch over us the radiant bow of 
promise and hope, the token of Thine abiding favor. 
Regard not our infirmities, and pass by our sins. Bind 
us to Thyself with the cords of love, strong as the 
heavens, and enduring as the mountains ; so shall our 
souls be eloquent with gratitude, and our tongues pro- 
claim Thy praise. 

Eternal One, we have followed Thy pathway through the 
wilderness, and Thou hast shown us Thy wonders; we 
have seen Thy power upon the great waters, Thine hand 
dropping the bread of heaven upon the people, leading 
them like a flock in pathless deserts ; beating down the 
pride of Amalek; giving them water from the flinty 
rock, and now we come to worship where the sapphire 
was under Thy feet, and where Thou didst shake the 
mountains with the majesty of Thy presence. As 
the darkness of the night covers us, let the mantle of 
Thy benediction be over us. Guide us in all these 



48 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

mountain pathways, and make Thy loving kindness the 
tabernacle of our peace, until Thou dost bring us 
with all Thy ransomed ones to Thine eternal kingdom. 
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for- 
ever. Amen. 



ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN. 40 



CHAPTER V. 

The Ascent of the Mountain — Conversation upon 
the Summit. 

The ascent of the mountain, as is usual among visitors, 
was made under the direction of an escort of monks from 
the Convent of St. Catharine. These, from their resi- 
dence, are familiar with all the passes and by-ways of 
these rugged mountain fastnesses. 

At an early hour we passed out of the rear gate of the 
convent and commenced the ascent. A narrow, well 
beaten path, which the eye can follow almost to the sum- 
mit, leads up the mountain side. As we continued the 
ascent the pathway became more difficult ; for some dis- 
tance it wound along the bed of a narrow ravine ; rugged 
cliffs rising up on the right and left, while we picked our 
way among huge granite bowlders scattered about in wild 
confusion. Along the more difficult and precipitous 
passes the monks have arranged the stones in artificial 
stairways to facilitate the ascent. 

About midway up the mountain we came to a depres- 
sion or basin in the hillside — a sort of amphitheater, con- 
taining a few rods of level ground. The hills rose up in 
gentle slopes around it, while on the upper side still far 
above us we lifted our eyes to the lofty summit rising in 
sublime grandeur toward the heavens. Near the center 
of this depression was a beautiful spring of water, hand- 
somely walled round by the labor of the monks. Sev- 
5 



50 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

eral patches of ground were under cultivation, and a 
number of fruit trees had recently been planted, while 
over the spring a tall cypress lifted high its thick and 
pointed branches. It was a beautiful garden spot, re- 
deemed from the surrounding sterility and desolation. 
Here, also, a couple of wild quails started up at our ap- 
proach, reminding us of Israel's murmuring, and the flesh 
sent them from God. 

"No important changes," said one, "have taken place 
in this mountain scenery for more than three thousand 
years. As these valleys and rocks met the eye of Moses 
so now they meet ours. Here, I have no doubt, he often 
sat and slaked his thirst at these waters, while his flocks 
wandered among the valleys about us." 

"We drink," said another, "from the fountain where 
Moses drank. 0, that we might drink from that higher, 
holier fountain to which he had such free access ! If 
three thousand years has not changed the mountain 
scenery, neither has it changed the character of Moses' 
God. He is still the same great I am that I am ; He 
has still a people in this great wilderness world to whom 
He comes, and whom He leads by the angel of His 
presence." 

" I can imagine him," said Elnathan, " in these se- 
cluded retreats, unvexed by the cares of court or state, 
far away from all intrusion of a busy world, contemplat- 
ing the great work of his people's emancipation, and 
preparing himself, under the tuition of Jehovah, to be- 
come their leader. In the quiet of contemplative seclu- 
sion the soul is often strengthened for high and sublime 
achievements." 

At last, after two hours of weary toil, we stood on the 
summit of the Mount of God ! Here we found a Moslem 



ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN. 51 

mosque and a Christian chapel. The mosque is in ruins ; 
the roof has disappeared, and a portion of the walls fallen 
down. It is no longer used as a place of worship. The 
chapel is still taken care of by the monks, and is orna- 
mented with the emblems of Christian worship. One of 
the first acts of our attendant monk was to open the 
chapel, having brought the key with him, light the lamps, 
burn incense, and perform his devotions at the altar. 
But what were these things to us ? The mountain itself 
was a great consecrated altar ; the sun in the heavens 
the illuminating lamp ; the aspirations of adoring hearts 
the incense ! 

Our Arab servant succeeded in gathering dry herbage 
to kindle a fire and boil some fresh coifee, from which, with 
a few dates and brown bread he had brought with him, 
lie served an acceptable and refreshing lunch. We ate 
with thanksgiving, not so much from the bountifulness of 
the supply as from the consciousness of God's mercy in 
all His preserving and guiding care. Seated still around 
the unmoved cloth, we were soon engaged in an interest- 
ing and cheerful conversation. 

" How strange," says one, " to stand upon this lofty 
summit, once made glorious by the presence and majesty 
of the God of the universe ! Can it be that Jehovah 
made this His high throne from which to send forth the 
law that has since been the guide of nations ? Did these 
mountain chasms re-echo with the voice of the Lord God 
omnipotent as his word went forth amid thunderings and 
lightnings?" 

The conversation almost immediately turned upon Mo- 
ses and his remarkable audience with the Deity. Rabbi 
Ben Achmed remained for some time silent, apparently 
absorbed in deep meditation. I looked inquiringly into 



52 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

his face, as if anxious he should give expression to some 
of the reflections that were evidently stirring the pro- 
found emotions of his heart. As if understanding my 
desire, he broke the silence : 

4k Here the great lawgiver was face to face with Jeho- 
vah! Here the Lord was revealed in the cloud, and 
Mosheh stood in the presence of the great I am. Here 
the Lord made his Shekinah pass before the face of Mo- 
sheh as He proclaimed ; the Lord, the Lord God gracious 
and merciful, slow to anger, making goodness and truth 
to abound ; forgiving iniquity and rebellion and guilt ; 
pardoning them who convert unto His law, but not acquit- 
ting them who convert not. 

u Here Mosheh was before the Lord forty days and 
forty nights. Here he brought tablets of stone, and Je- 
hovah wrote upon them with His own fingers the Ten 
Words. Mosheh wrote in a book the common law — the 
precepts, and the ceremonies that might be changed, and 
in the end abolished — but the Ten Words were engraven 
upon adamant, for they change not. As God changes 
not, they can not be changed. As Jehovah endures for- 
ever, so shall the Ten Words stand for all the generations 
of the sons of men. The thunders that shook the mount 
and the fires that terrified the people have passed away, 
but the Eternal One abideth still. I feel the inspiration 
of His all-pervading presence ; something, I fancy, as 
Elijah of old felt as he stood on this mountain ; not the 
whirlwind and the fire, but the still, small voice as it 
comes whispering to my inmost soul. Never before did 
I seem so completely encircled with the presence of 
Jehovah ! " 

" The face of Moses," said I, " was made luminous 
with the overshadowing of the divine glory ; we may not 



CONVERSATIONS UPON THE SUMMIT. 53 

share with him in the visible splendor, but the soul may 
be aglow with the presence and fullness of God. As we 
come up higher and leave the grossness of the world be- 
hind, we reach a purer spiritual atmosphere where all 
"becomes radiant with the glory of heaven." 

"It seems to me," said Elnathan, "something akin to 
the scene when Christ ascended the mount of transfigura- 
tion. He was praying, and in his communion with 
heaven, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and 
his raiment was white and glistening." 

"When Jehovah in the creation," responded Achmed, 
" made man, He breathed into him His spirit, and stamped 
him with His image. A return to God from our sinful 
wanderings is a return to the possession of His Spirit, 
and the likeness of His image." 

Did Moses Borroiv ? 

" We have designed," said I, " to make the Taberna- 
cle a study. Where shall we find a more appropriate 
place to commence than here, where Jehovah gave the 
order and showed to His servant Moses the pattern ? 
Some say he got the pattern from Egypt ; that he copied 
from their idolatrous forms and ceremonies. We would 
like to hear the opinion of the Rabbi." 

" No ; Moses did not copy from the Egyptians," said 
Ben Achmed, "rather say the Egyptians copied from 
Mosheh ; or from the primeval revelations of Mosheh's 
God. When sin came, Jehovah unveiled to man the 
throne of His mercy. At the gates of the deserted Eden 
were the altar, the cherubim, the sacred fire, and the 
sacrificial victim. The knowledge of these things were 
carried down among the nations and scattered over the 
world. The sons of God — the faithful and devout onjs — 



54 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

retained them in their purity, but the children of men 
neglected or perverted them. The Egyptians, long an- 
terior to Mosheh, had the knowledge of the one Eternal 
Self-Existent One. This is shown by the ancient rolls 
that modern research has found among their old-time 
tombs. Do we not find even now all over the world 
abundant proofs of an ancient revelation? Among all 
nations, however sunk in ignorance and barbarism, we 
find traditions of the creation, the fall of man, the flood, 
the confusion of languages, with forms of worship that 
seem to have a common origin, reaching back to the very 
gates of Eden. 7 ' 

" Yes,'"' said Elnathan, interrupting him, " in confirma- 
tion of that we find the idea prevailing among nearly all 
nations, idolaters though they be, that expiation of sin 
and reconciliation with the Deity is connected with the 
offering of bloody sacrifices. So they have their altars, 
their sacrifices, and their immolated victims. What is 
this but the faint gleamings amidst the ignorance and 
superstitions of the world, of that great truth, emanating 
from God in the very infancy of the world's history — a 
truth so commending itself to the consciences of men it 
could never be eradicated from human creeds amid all 
the corruptions and superstitions to which they have 
been subjected. The origin of these sacrifices may be to 
them all unknown, and the connection between the blood 
of a slain victim and the expiation of sin may be to 
them a profound mystery, but the existence of the rites 
shows they must have had a common origin with the 
great truths of the Bible." 

•• You help me," said Ben Achmed, " in what I wanted 
to say. All idolatry had its origin in departures from 
the true God. All heathen religion and rites of worship 



CONVERSATIONS UPON THE SUMMIT. 55 

had their orgin in, and were perversions of the true — of 
the original revelations and worship of the one great 
Creator. These systems of false religion confirm the 
true as the counterfeit coin confirms the genuine. Be- 
neath the temples, the altars, and the victims of these 
idolatrous systems of antiquity, were buried the great 
truths of God. It was Mosheh's mission to eliminate 
from these corrupt and worthless superstitions and rites 
the false, and restore the true — to teach again the 
primal idea of the one true and living Jehovah, and the 
forms of true and acceptable worship. It was his, under 
Divine guidance, to rescue those symbols and forms of 
worship that had been perverted, and to reject such as 
idolatry and superstition had introduced. If in these 
appointments of the true worship, there were altars, 
priests, and holy vestments, offerings, and sacrifices, and 
processions, it was not because Moses borrowed them 
from idolatrous Egyptians, but because they belonged to 
the proper and original worship of the Great and Holy 
One, from whom these nations had departed, taking with 
them much that belonged to the original and the true." 

" Moses," interrupted Elnathan, " did not take all his 
religious rites from the Egyptians, nor any of them, be- 
cause the Egyptians practiced them. If the Egyptians 
carried a chest surmounted with symbolic figures in their 
religious processions, it does not follow that Moses took 
his idea of the ark and cherubim from them ; the ark 
and the cherubim belonged to the original appointments 
of Eden. Moses restored them to their proper use." 

" There is no doubt," said Ben Achmed, " but that in 
the days of Moses, the Egyptians had reached a high 
state of advancement in the arts and sciences, but in re- 
ligion they had departed far from the knowledge of the 



56 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

one true living God, they were sunk in the degradation 
of idolatry. Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the 
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds, but the 
system of religion and worship he taught was far, far in 
advance of any he could have learned of the Egyptians 
at that time. The translation of tablets and papyrus 
rolls of that age of the world, as found upon their mon- 
uments, and in their tombs, reveal the fact that their re- 
ligion was a system of degrading idolatry ; neither the 
God that Israel worshiped nor their mode of paying 
Him homage was known in Egyptian worship. Moses 
could not have got his religion from them." 

"All religions," continued another, " have many things 
in common. All false religions are corruptions or per- 
versions of the true. The false is the degeneracy of the 
true, not the true an improvement upon the false. Orig- 
inally, man walked with God, and worshiped Him in 
purity and truth, but the time came when men did not 
like to retain God in their thoughts. They glorified Him 
not as God, and became vain in their imaginations, and 
their foolish heart was darkened. They changed the 
glory of the incorruptible God into images made like to 
corruptible man and four-footed beasts and creeping 
things. They retained the temples, the altars, and the 
ceremonies, but the true object of worship was forgot- 
ten. They changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor- 
shiped and served the creature more than the Creator. 
If they retained any thing that is pure and good in 
doctrine or in practice, it is because it has descended 
from the true fountain of God's revelation." 

Plan of Tabernacle Revealed. 
"Another question," said one, " has often occurred to 



CONVERSATIONS UPON THE SUMMIT. 57 

me ; it is said God revealed to Moses the plan of the 
Tabernacle, and he was specially charged to make all 
things according to the plan shown him in the mount. 
How was this plan or pattern revealed to him ? " 

The Rabbi answered : " Mosheh was here in com- 
munion with Jehovah. He who made man's intellectual 
and spiritual nature knows how to speak to what He has 
made. Here the cloud covered Mosheh, and the inward 
illumination was intensified by the darkness about him. 
It is not necessary for us to understand that the law and 
the plan of the Tabernacle were all revealed in this in- 
terview. Mosheh, as I have said before, had long been, 
studying these things — not forty days only, but forty 
years. His plans had been deeply laid, long pondered,, 
and well matured, not in his own wisdom, but under the 
guiding hand of Him with whom he was now holding this 
august interview. Here, and now, was the culmination 
of that long tuition — a sort of summing up, and final 
counsel and commission, and Jehovah granted him that 
mental illumination that brought the whole plan fresh 
and clear before his mind. Of the plan of the Taber- 
nacle, it was not a description, nor a picture, nor yet a 
literal model — it was a plan or scheme — Mish-Pat — seen 
not with the natural eye, but in the clearer vision of the 
mind. 

" Before the painter commences his picture, he sees it in 
mental vision as plainly as you afterward see it upon can- 
vas. So the architect sees his building all through, 
from foundation-stone to turret, before the workmen 
strike a blow. So Jehovah showed Mosheh the Tab- 
ernacle." 

" There is one thing," said I, " important for us to 
remember ; Moses was not allowed to use his own fancy 



58 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WOXDERFUL TEXT. 

or judgment in any part of the structure. It was ex- 
pressly said, and repeated again and again, with reference 
to the building and all its holy furniture : l Look that 
thou make them after the pattern that was shown thee in 
the mount.' If, as we study this structure, we find it a 
type of God's great spiritual temple, and spiritual wor- 
ship, we must also learn that in rearing that temple, and 
in that worship, we are not allowed to follow our own 
devices or inclinations. God has given us the model, 
and to us He says, as to Moses : ' See that thou make all 
things after the pattern shown thee.' "When we have the 
mind of God it is never safe to depart from it." 

" On one other thing," said Jason, " I would like to 
inquire the mind of the Rabbi. Why such adornments — 
such magnificence of wealth and beauty lavished upon 
it ? I have been told that the Israelites in Egypt had 
been accustomed to the magnificent display and gorgeous 
rites of idolatrous worship ; and that Moses' desire was 
to inflame the imagination of the people, and by impos- 
ing displays of wealth and grandeur give them a substi- 
tute, and thus wean them from what many of them had 
been accustomed to see, and perhaps many of them to 
practice." 

tw Xo ; I do not think he was moved by any such mo- 
tive. He was inspired by a higher and nobler purpose. 
It was not to wean them from false gods and idolatrous 
worship, but to magnify Jehovah — to give them higher ideas 
of His majesty, purity and glory — that He was above all — 
hetter and more glorious than all the gods of the nations ; 
and that, more than all others, He was to be adored, and 
ionored, and worshiped. 

" So also some ask : Why did Mosheh use so many sym- 



CONVERSATIONS UPON THE SUMMIT. 59 

bols and ceremonies ? "Why not teach the people by di- 
rect and verbal communication ? 

" What the moral and intellectual condition of the peo- 
ple was as they came from under the hand of their task- 
masters it is now impossible to know. There were 
certainly many men among them of cultivation and 
intelligence. They also had a religion. They had altars,, 
and sacrifices, and forms of worship before the Taber- 
nacle was built or Mosheh ascended this mount of God. 
With many of the forms of worship the people seem to 
have been familiar from the first, as though they had 
brought them out of Egypt with them. Yet we can not 
but conclude that the great mass of the people, born and 
reared in bondage — a bondage that had continued for 
some two hundred years — and living in continual contact 
with idolatry — must have been in a rude and uncultivated 
state, and their ideas of God and spiritual things low 
and imperfect. Thus fresh from their Egyptian 
task-masters, it is difficult to realize the importance or 
the difficulties of the work now undertaken. Into these 
secluded mountain retreats Mosheh had now brought 
them. Here they were to be put under tuition This 
was Jehovah's great divinity school, and a nation were 
His pupils. The true worship of the one eternal Maker 
and Ruler of the world, so long interrupted, was to he- 
re-established and purified. The scattered truths of 
revelation that had fallen here and there along the path- 
way of the patriarchs were to be gathered up, and a 
complete system of law, religion, and worship estab- 
lished by the ministration of Mosheh. 

" In knowledge of holy and divine things the mass of the 
people were like children. They had to commence 
among the rudiments ; be taught first principles. They 



60 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

were not competent to grasp the abstract truths of God's 
being and attributes — the spirituality of God's nature, 
revelations, and worship. As when we teach our chil- 
dren we begin with visible forms and figures, blocks, and 
pictures, so did God begin with this untutored nation. 

" There is no way of teaching the unknown but by the 
known. Our ideas of invisible and spiritual things must 
be suggested and learned by the properties of natural or 
material and known things. In the early stages of lan- 
guage nearly if not all forms of expression are figura- 
tive — most of them highly so. The poverty of their 
language made it more necessary to speak in metaphors 
and symbols. The Divine nature and attributes could 
only be expressed by illustrations drawn from corporeal 
things, and such qualities as were seen in animals and 
men and other visible things about them. No human 
language can give proper and full expression to the 
attributes of Him whose attributes are unutterable, and 
who dwelleth in light unapproachable. Thus God com- 
menced with His people, and by these symbols, signs, 
and figures, He gradually led them to a comprehension 
of His attributes — His holiness, majesty, power, and 
glory. By this figurative and symbolic language God is 
represented as having human affections and qualities, by 
which we come at last to understand that He is not only 
holy, and great, and powerful, but that He is good, and 
kind, and compassionate ; that He cares for us, and that 
His loving kindness is stretched out like a hand to guide 
and bless us. Thus we see why God commenced with 
this people as with children, and taught them with pic- 
tures and symbols. Thus we conclude that the Taber- 
nacle, its golden ornaments, its elaborate furniture, and 
decorations were designed by the Great Teacher to lead 



CONVERSATIONS UPON THE SUMMIT. 02 

them into the knowledge of higher spiritual and eternal 
things. 

" To what extent those who first gathered in this Taber- 
nacle understood these things we can not tell, but many 
of these symbolic utterances were undoubtedly under- 
stood by them, and they caught the great spiritual les- 
sons intended to be conveyed. We now build on their 
foundation, and reap the benefits of their tuition. From 
their long pupilage, a language of religion had been 
built up for us ; we have a vocabulary of spiritual terms 
by which we are enabled to understand and express 
ideas of God, of spiritual, eternal, and unseen things. 
And now, as we come to this Tabernacle, and review 
these early lessons, these symbols will no doubt greatly 
aid us in our understanding of Jehovah's revelations., 
Of His great spiritual kingdom in its relations to this 
world, and its glories in the world to come." 

" God is wise," said I, " and knows how best to adapt 
His lessons to the wants and capacities of His people. 
But the ultimate design — the great end of all — is that 
we may know Him, and the power of His spirit, and be 
brought into union and communion with Him." 

" Yes," was the answer, " and in this progression 
there is first the literal, then the spiritual. When Je- 
hovah, blessed be His name, formed men from the dust 
of the ground, there was first the inanimate form, then 
the Creator breathed into him and he became a living 
soul. The body of our religion is but a dead form till 
the spirit of Jehovah is breathed into it." 

" Moses," said I, " gave us the Tabernacle — its sym- 
bols, its altars, and its sacrifices, and forms of worship. 
These things prepared the way for a greater than Moses ; 
for One who .taught that God is a spirit, and that they 



62 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

who worship Him must worship Him in the spirit and 
the truth. ' The words I speak unto you,' said He, 
* they are spirit and they are life.' " 

" I seek," replied Achmed, " for the spirit. I feel the 
deep yearnings of a spiritual nature that mere symbols 
and forms and ceremonies can never satisfy. I begin in 
Mosheh, and I see great light ; he has been to me like a 
guiding cloud. But somehow I feel that there are more 
precious lessons — fountains where the soul may have 
deeper draughts. I ask the Almighty Father that I may 
know the truth. If truth is hidden I will search for her 
as for buried treasure; if she be embodied in Him in 
whom ye trust, like Nicodemus of old, I would seek Him 
by night, and sit at His feet. I long to see the glory 
burst through the cloud." 

" Thy search shall not be in vain. ' For a little time 
I hid my face from thee, but in loving kindness will I 
remember thee.' " 

Elnathan opened his Bible. " How appropriate," said 
he, " to read the Ten Words on this sublime mountain 
top from whence they were proclaimed in thunder tones 
in the hearing of the people ! " All listened with devout 
attention. Closing the book, he said, " God has made 
this mountain top a Bethel to us ; what more appropriate 
place for thanksgiving and prayer. We have learned 
from the Rabbi, Will he go before us to the Throne of 
Mercy?" 

Prayer of Achmed upon the Summit of Sinai. 

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Ever Living 
One, glorious and merciful! Who is a God like unto 
Thee; passing by the transgressions of the fallen and 
estranged ones. Thou hast loved thine heritage, and 



PRAYER OF ACHMED UPON SINAI. (33 

Thy mercy has followed even the remnant of Thy scat- 
tered children. Thy judgments are in righteousness, but 
Thou wilt be merciful to those that turn unto Thee, and 
Thou wilt hide our iniquities that Thine omniscience may 
know them no more forever. 

Thou didst swear unto Abraham, and Thy covenant 
was renewed unto Jacob, and in holiness Thou wilt fulfill 
all Thy word. We rejoice in Mosheh Thy servant, and 
in the revelations of this Mountain of the Law. Make 
Thy truth righteousness, and Thy salvation a burning 
lamp. Jehovah, Mighty One, who are now Thy peo- 
ple? Jerusalem is desolate; the foundation stones of 
Thy hidden oracle have been torn away ; Thy glorious 
habitation in the city of David, the perfection of beauty, 
the joy of all the earth, the Tabernacle of peace whither 
the tribes went up, is trodden down of Thine enemies. 
Where are now Thine elect, the sons of the covenant, the 
children of the promise? Thou didst assure us there 
should go forth a king from the sons of Jesse, and 
Messiah should be anointed from his loins. 

Thou God of Israel, Thou healer of the original 
wound, where are Thy promises, and to whom shall they 
be fulfilled? Where is Thy coming One? 0, Thou who 
didst separate light from darkness, and create the day 
and the night, let the power of Thy spirit rest upon us, 
and lift over our darkness the joy of Thy light. Let us 
hear the voice of the Lord our God proclaiming the day 
of redemption. 

Lord Jehovah, from this wilderness we cry unto Thee ; 
from this mountain that once trembled at Thy presence ; 
from these valleys that were kindled into light by the 
glory of Thy Shekinah. Thou dost still love the chil- 
dren of Thine inheritance ; let Thy mysterious Bathkol 



64 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

speak to us; Thy Memra — Da-ye-ya — Thy Mighty 
Word ! We would know Thy truth, and know of Thine. 
Speak Thou to us ; not with the voice of terror that 
shook these mountains, but with the still, small voice that 
came to Thy servant Elijah when he hid himself in these 
clefts. Jehovah God, Thou art our refuge ; for Thy 
covenant's sake have mercy upon us. Make us hear the 
voice of salvation ; the voice of Thy Beloved ; the voice 
of Him that cometh upon the mountain of Thy glory — 
the voice of the Messiah of the nations, for Thine is the 
kingdom now and forever. Amen. 



GENERAL CONVERSATION UPON THE TABERNACLE. 65 



CHAPTER VI. 

A General Conversation upon the Tabernacle. 

The company had enjoyed a spiritual feast upon the 
mountain top. Abdallah had met them at the tent with an 
ample supply for the weary body. The evening was a beau- 
tiful one, and the full-orbed moon gradually ascended 
the cloudless heavens, vividly reminding them of the 
pillar of cloud and fire Jehovah so strangely hung over 
the camp of Israel. The conversation turned upon the 
Tabernacle, that wonderful and costly structure reared to 
the honor of Jehovah, upon this very plain of Rahah, 
perhaps upon the very spot where their tents now stood. 
There was an inspiration in the very locality, prompting 
a deeper interest in all that related to the sacred struct- 
ure. We have space only for a summary of the pro- 
tracted conversation. 

The word Tabernacle, as used in our translation of the 
Bible, is from the Latin Tabernaculum, and means sim- 
ply a tent. As the Israelites in the wilderness dwelt in 
tents, so God directed them to erect a tent or Tabernacle 
for Him, where He could record His name and manifest 
His glory, and where they could assemble for His wor- 
ship. 

Those who read the Hebrew tell us that our translation 
seldom makes any difference between the word Taber- 
nacle and Tent, though in the original they are 
never confounded. In Exodus, chapters xxxix and xl, 
6 



66 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

we have several passages where both terms are used : 
" Thus was all the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of 
the consecration," etc. "And he put the altar of burnt- 
offering by the door of the Tabernacle of the tent of the 
consecration," and so in other verses. The word Taber- 
nacle or dwelling is the name appropriated to the holy 
structure and its precincts when it is regarded especially 
as the residence of God. It was His dwelling place — 
His Tabernacle. On the other hand, the word tent is 
always used when reference is made to the congrega- 
tion — so it is never called the Tabernacle of the congre- 
gation, but always the tent of the congregation. God's 
Tabernacle or dwelling place was the tent where the 
people assembled. Jehovah dwelt there, but the people 
did not. 

In Exodus xxv we read : " Let them make Me a sanc- 
tuary " (Heb. Mikdash, a holy place ; from Kadash, to 
sanctify, to hallow). The term denotes a holy habitation, 
expressly consecrated to the residence of the visible Di- 
vine Majesty in the midst of them. The import plainly 
is, that God will dwell among them by the signal mani- 
festations of His glory in the Shekinah, the visible token 
of His presence. 

This dwelling place of Jehovah was a sanctuary, as 
Mik-ke-dosh is often translated — a sanctified and most 
holy place — a consecrated spot — a pure habitation. It 
was specially set apart for God, and was to be carefully 
guarded from all impurity and common use. No uncir- 
cumcised or unclean person was allowed to enter it : all 
that came within its golden walls must be unblemished 
and undefiled. Before it was set the altar of burnt- 
offering, and the great brazen laver, as much as to say : 
"Make atonement for thy sins, and wash away thy pol- 



GENERAL CONVERSATION UPON THE TABERNACLE. G7 

lutions, for the place thou approachest is holy ground." 
In this it -was emblematic of the church, where all should 
be pure; and ultimately of heaven, into which there en- 
tereth nothing that defileth, or worketh abomination, or 
loveth a lie. 

This Tabernacle, erected for the Lord, must be distin- 
guished from the tent or Tabernacle of Moses, spoken of 
in the thirty-third chapter of Exodus. This was Moses' 
business tent — his official head-quarters, where he met 
the people for the transaction of business. This tent 
was at first within the camp. But God showed his dis- 
pleasure at the sin of the people in the idolatry of the 
golden calf, and refused to come among them. So Moses 
took this tent and removed it without the camp, and set 
it afar off away from the tents of the people ; calling it 
the tabernacle of the congregation, or the tent of meet- 
ing — the Targum calls it "The Tabernacle of the House 
of Instruction ;" here the people came to Moses for 
counsel and instruction. It seems also to have been a 
place of religious worship where the devout were ac- 
customed to assemble, and here Moses inquired of the 
Lord. 

When Moses entered into this Tabernacle, the cloudy 
pillar descended and stood at the door, and the Lord 
talked with Moses, and the people showed their rever- 
ence by rising and worshiping every man at his tent 
door. This was before the Tabernacle of God was 
erected. But even after that, it continued to be the Tab- 
ernacle of instruction. When Moses could not be in at- 
tendance, Joshua Bar Nun acted as his assistant to re- 
ceive the people. 

This structure now erected was the Tabernacle of the 
Congregation. They helped to build it, and they had a 



68 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

common interest in it. Here they brought their offer- 
ings ; here atonement was made for them ; around its 
courts they were accustomed to assemble, and here the 
morning and the evening incense went up to God. It 
was the glorious high throne of God among men ; here 
God kept his court as Israel's King. 

It was called the tabernacle of Testimony, or witness^ 
from the sacred Ark which contained the testimony, or 
tables of the law ; and because God here made his com- 
mandments or testimonies known. 

Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, calls it a worldly 
sanctuary ; contrasting it with the spiritual dispensation 
that was to follow. The one was the shadow ; the other 
the substance. The worldly would perish ; the spiritual 
endure forever. 

" We shall find," said one, " as we proceed in this 
study, many rich and instructive lessons. We shall find 
types of the true child of God, of his sanctified nature ; 
his high and holy relationships ; exalted privileges ; his 
sacred work; his sublime immortality, and t eternal des- 
tiny. We shall find types of Messiah, of the true 
church — the spiritual temple — of heaven itself where Je- 
hovah dwells in inexpressible splendor — of the glory to 
which he will ultimately gather all the great multitude 
of his redeemed." 

" You speak," said Ben Achmed, " of types — what do 
you understand by types ? " 

As the question was directed to the company in gen- 
eral, there was a pause as if all were waiting for the one 
to speak who felt himself best qualified to answer. 

Elnathan led the way. We omit the questions by 
which he was frequently interrupted, and give the sub- 
stance of his reply : 



GENERAL CONVERSATION UPON THE TABERNACLE. 69 

Of Types and Emblems. 

As we study the Tabernacle, its furniture and worship, 
in search of its great spiritual lessons — especially as we 
seek for types of events that were to follow under the 
gospel — we must be careful to discriminate between what 
were intended, under the divine plan, as types of some- 
thing in the future, and what are mere similitudes or 
analogies. 

We have in use several terms — as, figure, pattern, sym- 
bol, emblem, etc., which Ave often used interchangeably, 
sometimes as synonyms, it may be correctly, but often 
erroneously. Each of these terms has different signifi- 
cations when used in different departments — as in liter- 
ature, in art, or in science, or in religion. In some 
cases some of these terms come to be used technically, 
having in some departments a specific meaning. Thus, a 
type in printing is a letter in metal; type in medicine, 
a form of disease ; in natural history, a general form ; so 
also when used in religion, as we shall see directly. 

Figure is the most general of the terms we have 
named, comprehending, Crabbe says, every thing which 
is figured by means of the imagination. Emblem, type, 
symbol, allegory, parable, etc., are but modes of the fig- 
ure. A figure may be in words, or in things generally ; 
we may have a figure of the imagination, or expression ; 
or a figure on paper, or a figure of wood or stone. 

Emblem is that sort of figure of thought by which we 
make corporeal objects stand for moral properties — as the 
dove, an emblem of purity, the lamb of meekness, the 
lion of courage, white robes of innocence. 

Symbol is the sign or representation of any moral 
thing by the images or properties of natural things. The 



70 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

same may be said of emblem — something that represents 
one thing to the eye, another to the mind. Sometimes 
the uses of certain objects become conventional, and by 
general agreement are constituted symbols ; as the olive 
and laurel, symbols of peace ; the palm of victory ; the 
cross of Christianity. Thus we see that symbol and 
emblem may be used, and often are used, as synonymous. 

Type, as used in religion, is that kind of emblem by 
which one object is made to represent another mystically, 
or to prefigure something which is to come after it ; used 
generally of events under the Old Testament, which are 
supposed to bear a certain resemblance or relation to 
things under the New — to the Church, or to the person, 
offices, and work of Christ. 

Blair says all the remarkable events under the law are 
types of Christ. But this is too general an application 
of the word. All such events may perhaps be used as 
analogies or illustrations, but comparatively few of them 
can be said to be types. 

All language is merely conventional, and words are 
signs of ideas only by mutual agreement. Certain 
words may be used by one writer in a different sense 
from what others use them, and every writer is at liberty 
to select his own language ; but if he chooses to use 
words in a sense not ordinarily attached to them, he 
should be careful to explain his meaning, though it is 
usually better to adopt the common conventional nomen- 
clature. We do not ordinarily say of baptism and the 
Lord's Supper they are types ; but they are beautiful 
and expressive symbols, or emblems, of some of the 
great doctrines of Christianity. 

When we say of something in the Old Testament, it 
is a type, we mean that in it there is something more 



GENERAL CONVERSATION UPON THE TABERNACLE. 71 

than a mere analogy or resemblance to "what is yet to be 
unfolded in the future, or to come after it. Mere re- 
semblances may be accidental, and not intended to have 
any reference to other things, or what may succeed it. 
A type, in the religious sense, implies design. To be a 
type, as one has justly said, " The former must not only 
resemble the latter, but must have been designed so to 
resemble it in its original institution." 

To illustrate : This book is like that table ; it is four- 
square ; its lids open and shut like the table ; from one 
I feed the mind, from the other the body ; but I can not 
say the book is a type of the table. Such resemblances 
are merely accidental. Such resemblances can be traced 
in all things. They give us large opportunities of com- 
parison and illustration. They aid us in expressing our 
ideas, and in teaching others. 

How, then, it may be asked, as we study the Old Tes- 
tament, or search for the deep spiritual lessons of the 
Tabernacle, can we determine what were types, and what 
we may use only as analogies and illustrations ? 

We may not always be able to tell. Perhaps it is not 
safe to say of any of those things, they are types, unless 
we find authority for it in subsequent teachings, or in 
New Testament allusions. Some things in the Old Dis- 
pensation were clearly and unmistakably types. Melchis- 
edek was a type of Christ in his priesthood. His office 
did not come by descent, for He was not written in the 
genealogies. The paschal lamb was a type of Christ, 
under the protection of whose blood we may abide, for 
Christ is our passover sacrificed for us. Moses, as a de- 
liverer and lawgiver, was a type of Christ. Aaron, as 
a high priest, was a type of Christ, who even now inter- 
cedes for us. 



72 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

The Savior said to his hearers on one occasion, " Had 
ye believed Moses ye would have believed me, for he 
wrote of me." From this we may be certain Christ was 
in the Mosaic Dispensation, and hence we may conclude 
some things, perhaps many things, were types of Hii 
and were fulfilled in Him as the great antitype. 

So the whole scheme of the Tabernacle building, its 
furniture, appointments, and worship, while its immediate 
design was to teach the people by symbolic lessons higher 
and clearer conceptions of Jehovah ; of the infinity, 
purity and holiness of His attributes ; of the equity and 
excellence of His laws ; the reverence and veneration 
due to His name ; to preserve and perpetuate His revela- 
tions and worship — the whole seems to have a far-reach- 
ing significance, pointing to richer and more glorious 
things to come. 

How happily and forcibly, in the Epistle to the He- 
brews, the comparison is drawn between the Old Cove- 
nant and the New ; the blood of the slain victim and the 
blood of Christ ; the ministrations of the worldly sanctu- 
ary and the true Tabernacle of God, the church; the 
Holy of Holies and the glorious heavens. Not merely 
accidental resemblances, but the evidence of a great 
purpose in the mind of the Deity — the great spiritual 
architect — leading us from the shadow to the substance ; 
to the richer things of the real spiritual building of God ; 
the true priesthood ; the ceaseless intercession ; the eter- 
nal temple in the heavens. In the Tabernacle was de- 
signed not only the truth as revealed by Moses, but the 
truth as it was designed to shine out in the character, 
teachings, and works of Jesus Christ. 

But while we look into these revelations of former 
times, in all our interpretations, in all our searchings for 



GENERAL CONVERSATION UPON THE TABERNACLE. 73 

truth under the guise of symbols and types, we must he 
careful to avoid extremes. Some persons can see i:i all 
these things of a former dispensation nothing hut a hare 
series of events — an ordinary history, describing the 
sanctuary and mode of worship of a peculiar, migrating 
nation, having no special significancy or relation to sub- 
sequent times. Others have attempted to find types in 
almost every particular, and have sometimes brought this 
whole mode of interpretation into disrepute, or even 
contempt, by their fanciful, or extravagant and far- 
fetched interpretations. All that stands connected with 
the Mosaic Dispensation — the Tabernacle, the temple, 
the offerings, the worship — may be used to illustrate, 
explain and teach more clearly the doctrines, the privi- 
leges, the observances and verities of the more glorious 
Christian scheme of redemption ; but not every corner, 
stitch and loop and pin can be made a type. 

With these thoughts in mind, let us enter the holy 
place and study some of the lessons of its golden 
symbols. 

As Elnathan finished, all eyes were turned toward Ben 
Achmed, as if wondering how he would receive this in- 
terpretation, and these allusions to the Crucified One. 
To all that had before been said he had listened with 
marked attention ; would he now follow us as we sought 
Messiah the Redeemer in that wonderful structure that, 
here in the midst of this desert scenery, grew into sym- 
metry and beauty under the guidance of the Divine 
Builder ? 

He was the first to speak : 

•• What astonishing revelations are here ! Jehovah 
dwelling among men — teaching not Israel only, but the 
7 



74 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

whole world by the appointed symbols and ceremonies 
of this wonderful dispensation ! " 

" Your people," said I, " have long looked for one to 
come ; will they ever find one in whom Moses, the Taber- 
nacle, and the law have had a more complete fulfillment 
than in Messiah, in whom we trust?" 

" How beautiful and impressive," said he, " was the 
Tabernacle of Jehovah ! How inspiring and instructive 
in its appointments and service ! But the golden ark 
has been taken from behind its costly curtains ; the ma- 
jestic temple of God's holy mountain is in ruins ; its 
altars have been demolished, and its oblations have 
ceased. These things must have fulfilled their mission, 
else why have they been taken away ? The scepter has 
departed from Judah, and my people are exiles among 
the nations. Where now is the God of my fathers? 
"Where his oath to Abraham? Has Jehovah forgotten 
his promises ? Has earth no abiding habitation for his 
Shekinah?" 

" We stand," said I, " where Moses stood. Let us rear 
again the Tabernacle of God. Come with us and study 
its golden symbols, and search for the mystic lessons 
covered by its costly curtains.' 

" Lead me," said Ben Achmed, " into his sanctuary ; 
let me stand in the light of the golden candelabrum, and 
feed me from the consecrated table of the presence 
bread. Would that Jehovah would speak to me from the 
throne of the cherubim ! If I find Him of whom Moses 
and the prophets did write, gladlv will I sit at his feet." 



THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE. 75 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Court of the Tabernacle — Its Pillars and 
Curtains. 

As it was settled several days should be spent in the 
encampment at the mount, the Arab guides and attend- 
ants were dismissed to visit their homes and friends in 
the desert, and the camels sent where they could be bet- 
ter supplied with forage — only Abdallah and the cook 
remained in charge of the tent. 

A part of the day was spent in a general ramble over 
the plain of Rahah, and up the valley of Lejah, which 
separates Sinai from the great mountains of Um Shomer 
and St. Catharine. In this valley they were shown the 
" Smitten Rock," with which the mythical traditions of 
the monks have connected the miracle of Moses. 

It was near midday as the party entered the gate of 
the convent for a short season of rest. A frugal repast of 
brown bread and dates was furnished by the hospitable 
monks, after which the company seated themselves around 
the well of Jethro, sheltered from the sun by a luxuriant 
vine the inmates had trained into a beautiful arbor. The 
previous conversation, abruptly terminated, was still 
fresh in mind. 

Turning to the Rabbi I said : " Thou canst see won- 
derful things in these revelations of Jehovah. "What 
stupendous miracles were witnessed on this mount of the 
law ! Jehovah was among His people. Dost thou think 
He is still among them ? " 



76 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

" Who are his people ? " 

" God's promise to Abraham was," I answered, " that 
he should be the father of many nations. Abraham had 
other children, but it was said, ' In Isaac shall thy seed 
"be called ;' but if it is only the natural seed where is 
the fulfillment of the promise ? The natural seed are but 
a remnant. But we are told Abraham believed God, and 
it was counted or imputed to him for righteousness. — 
Gen. xv, 6. So he has become the father of all them 
that believe. Thus they are not all Israel that are of 
Israel — the heirship is not through the law, or by the 
affinity of blood, but through the righteousness of faith." 

" Of what faith do you speak ? " 

" There was the promise of a great Prophet that should 
"be raised up unto Israel. So all the prophets, from 
Samuel and all that followed, foretold the days when 
that Prophet, Ruler, and Redeemer should arise, to 
whom the true seed should be gathered. Paul saw the 
light, and found the fulfillments of the promise. He 
says it was not written for Abraham's sake alone, that 
his faith was imputed to him for righteousness, ' but for 
us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe in Him 
that raised up Messiah from the dead ; who was delivered 
for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.' 
The children of faith are the children of promise. Hast 
thou read the New Testament?" 

" I have not only read it, but studied it carefully." 

" Why can not thy people see the fulfillment of the 
promises in the man of Galilee ?" 

"Hast thou read the New Testament?" retorted 
Aclimed. " Can I give a better answer than that ? When 
men are looking in one direction they can not see in the 
opposite. Jesus did not meet the expectation of the 



THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE. 77 

rulers, and they rejected Him, and the children have ever 
since labored to prove their fathers right. Intent in this, 
their eyes are blinded. They look for arguments against, 
rather than for reasons for." 

•• They are accused," I said, of " stubornness and 
bigotry." 

" They have been stubborn, and bigotry is often born 
of a stubborn will. Then, too, it is often humiliating to 
own we have been in the wrong. No man likes to weaken 
the foundations of his own house. But Jehovah made 
my fathers a stubborn people ; how else could they have 
served His grand designs ?" 

" I do not understand the Rabbi." 

" The nations had forsaken God ; they were sunk in 
sin and idolatry. Jehovah determined to make a revela- 
tion of Himself; to restore and keep alive the knowledge 
of His name, the reverence and worship due His glory 
and omnipotence. He chose the Hebrew nation as the 
channel and custodian of these revelations. Through 
them the blessing was to come. It was their mission, 
by special design of Jehovah, to make known and defend 
the truth. Had it not been for the particular traits Je- 
hovah had given them they had melted away like other 
nations and been absorbed in the great ocean of our com- 
mon humanity. This stubbornness, as some choose to 
call it, has been the shield and buttress of the truth. 
The very tenacity with which they clung to their faith, 
and kept themselves a distinct people, has proved a 
blessing of the world." 

" You make that an apology for their still rejecting the 
Messiah?" 

•• Xot an apology. I give it as a reason, and a reason 
why they should not be too harshly censured or relent- 



78 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

lessly condemned. When at last the time came for the 
fulfillment of the promises, and God would speak to the 
world through Him that was to come, those strong char- 
acteristics that had been ramparts of defense became 
Judah's snare. But Jehovah is merciful ; the veil will 
be taken away." 

" Has it been lifted from thine own eyes ? " 
" Did you notice when the sun came up this morning 
how his rays kindled into glory the lofty mountain tops, 
while our tents in the valley lay in the deep shadow ? I 
see the light kindling in- glory far, far above me. I 
trust it will yet find its way into the valley of my re- 
pose — may be," he continued more thoughtfully, " into 
the obscurity of my anxious heart." 

" When Messiah was here," I said, " He touched the 
eyes of a blind man, and he saw men as trees walking." 
"Yes, my vision is as yet all imperfect." 
" The second touch," said I, " and he saw every thing 
clearly." 

"Amen," replied Ben Achmed, " God's will be done." 

" But we must go on," said I, " with our study of the 

Tabernacle ; that will prove, I trust, a revealing 

sanctuary where we shall learn of the hidden things of 

God. Let us at least to-day enter the outer court." 

The Court of the Tabernacle. 

Of this Elnathan was to give them a description first, 
then others might make such inquiries and comments as 
the subject suggested. 

Moses erected the Tabernacle, and then inclosed it in 
a court ; we reverse the order, and enter the court pre- 
paratory to a visit to the Holy House. The court in- 
creased the sanctity of the approach, as coming through 



THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE. 79 

the holy place inspired deeper reverence for the Holy of 
Holies. The court afterward came to represent the 
whole place of worship ; as the Psalmist says : " My soul 
longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord." 

The Hebrew Chat-Zar properly signifies a green field 
or inclosure, but is applied to any place in the open air 
inclosed by a fence or wall. It sometimes means an en- 
trance into a house or palace. Here it was the entrance 
to the palace where God enthroned himself in glory. It 
was a parallelogram, or rectangle, 100 cubits long, and 
50 broad, or 150 feet by 75.* The length just twice the 
breadth, containing one rood, twenty-one perches, and 
twenty-seven square feet, or a little more than three- 
eighths of an English acre. 

The Pillars of the Court. 
Twenty pillars were made for each of the longer sides, 
and ten for each of the shorter. These were five cubits, 
or seven and a half feet high, just one-half the height 
of the boards of the Tabernacle. The pillars, according 
to Ex. xxvii, 10, were made of brass — some think they 
were wood overlaid with brass — and were to stand upon 

*The cubit was originally the length of the arm from the el- 
bow to the extremity of the longest finger; it contained two 
spans, and each span three palms. Reduced to English inches, 
the length varied considerably among different nations. The 
exact length of the Hebrew cubit it is difficult now to ascertain; 
it is reckoned from eighteen to twenty-one inches. For 
the sake of convenience in reducing it to English measure, we 
have reckoned it at eighteen inches. The great Nileometer, 
now standing on the island of Roda, by which the overflow of 
the Nile is measured, is twenty-one and seven-eighteenths inches. 
The critical student will find this measure discussed at length in 
Smith's and other Bible dictionaries. 



80 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

sockets or foundations of brass. How these brass 
sockets were made, we are not informed ; some think the 
lower portions were pointed like a spike and driven into 
the ground. 

The chapiters or capitals of these pillars were quite 
richly ornamented, and overlaid with plates of silver. 
Silver hooks were also inserted in the capitals upon 
which to hang the curtains. They were also further 
secured from falling in or out by cords extending from 
the capitals to brass pins driven into the ground, after 
the manner of a tent. 

Silver fillets are also mentioned among the ornamental 
work of the caps of the pillars. What these were has 
given rise to much controversy, and opinions greatly vary. 
Many suppose them to be raised ornamental bands like 
moldings, encircling the capitals. Jewish writers de- 
scribe them as silver threads or bands, encircling the pil- 
lars from top to bottom, used to bind the curtains fast to 
the posts that they might not be moved about by the 
wind. The Hebrew, we are told, means any sort of 
bands or fastenings, and those who have given the sub- 
ject most critical examination conclude, and this seems 
reasonable, that they w r ere silver rods extending from pil- 
lar to pillar along the tops to aid in holding them more 
firmly in their places, and to support the curtains be- 
ween them. The Targum says : "All the pillars round 
about the court shall be united with rods of silver." 

Considerable ingenuity has been expended to arrange 
the sixty pillars so as to put them all in place, and yet 
make the spaces between them equal. The accompany- 
ing ground plan of the edifice from Atwater will make 
this sufficiently plain without any verbal description. 



THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE. 81 

The Curtains of the Court. 

The court was then inclosed by suspending from these 
pillars a continuous line of curtains, made of fine-twined 
linen, woven into a kind of net-work. This net-work 
was of such a character, that, though it kept persons 
from entering, they could be seen through, and persons 
from the outside could see what was transpiring in the 
court. These curtains were hung on hooks of silver. In 
the central portion of the east front of this court was a 
grand portal or doorway twenty cubits, or thirty feet, in 
breadth. This doorway was to be secured by a hanging, 
or curtain, of more costly material and elaborate work- 
manship than the other curtains. This was of fine- 
twined linen, richly embroidered with blue, and purple, 
and scarlet — the same fabric as the inner curtains of the 
Sanctuary. Targum : "And the door of the court shall 
be a hanging of twenty cubits of hyacinth, and purple, 
and vermilion, and fine linen, the work of the embroid- 
erer." This rich tapestry was suspended from the silver 
capitals of four of the pillars in such a manner as to be 
raised or drawn aside with cords, opening or closing the 
entrance at pleasure. This entrance was called the gate 
of the court, and was the only entrance ; for whoever 
comes into the courts of the Lord must come in by this 
door. 

" Such," said Elnathan, " was the inclosure within 
which God fixed His residence. It was the Lord's fence 
encircling consecrated ground. But we are not forbid- 
den to draw aside the costly curtains ; let us step within 
the sacred inclosure." 

"No Gentiles were admitted," said Ben Achmed, 
smiling. 



82 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

" That was so once," was the answer, " and when Sol- 
omon erected the temple he made a separate court for 
the Gentiles. But we shall show that the middle wall or 
partition has been broken down. In Abraham's seed all 
nations were to be blessed. Messiah came not merely 
for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but for the lost 
race of Adam." 

" As Meshiah's kingdom is to be everlasting, so let it 
be universal," said Ben Achmed. 

" The common people," said Elnathan, " were not 
usually admitted to this court. Afterward, when the 
Tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, a portion of it seems to 
have been allowed for this ; while the part allotted to the 
altar seems to have been reserved for the priests and at- 
tendant Levites. In the temple, larger and better ac- 
commodations were made. There was the court of the 
priests, where they could conduct undisturbed their min- 
istrations. Then there was the court of Israel, into 
which the undefiled of the nation might come; while 
still farther away from the altar was the court of the 
Gentiles. Narrow indeed were these courts, and but 
few could enter; but being made of curtains intimated 
that they were ultimately to be removed, and the bound- 
aries of God's kingdom to be enlarged: Messiah, our 
great High-Priest, having come and made one great 
atoning sacrifice, all curtains and pillars and walls have 
been taken down. There are no barriers of approach to 
God, but such as are found in sin and impenitence. The 
humble and repenting one can approach Him at all times 
and every-where." 

" And there was a court for the women," said another, 
" which separated them from all the rest. The walls of 
this too have been taken down. Redeemed women re- 



THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE. 83 

joice alike with redeemed men in the glad tidings ; come 
alike with them to the worship of God, and share with 
them in the blessings of the Sanctuary, and the higher 
privileges of the better dispensation. Anna, the proph- 
etess, hailed with joy the Infant Messiah, and spake of 
Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." 

"These magnificent hangings of needle-work," said 
Ben Achmed, " remind me of those I have often seen 
suspended at the doors of the great mosques in Turkey ; I 
have also seen them at the entrance of the royal tents of 
Persian princes. They mark the abode of royalty." 

" How glorious," exclaimed Jason, " the dwellings of 
Him who enthrones Himself in majesty ! The Lord lov- 
eth the gates of Zion more than all the tents of Jacob ! 
Make her gates pearl, her windows agates, and all her 
borders of pleasant stones. Call her walls salvation, 
and her gates praise. Enter with thanksgiving, and 
with songs of delight ! " 

" Do you recall," said the Rabbi, " what Ezekiel says : 
' And the glory of the Lord came into the house by way 
of the East. So the Spirit took me up and brought me 
into the inner court, and behold the glory of the Lord 
filled the house, and I heard Him speaking unto me ' ? " 

"I trust," said I, "we shall be led by the same Spirit, 
and hear the voice of Ezekiel's God." 

Absorbed in conversation, the company scarcely no- 
ticed the fleeting hours. 

" The sun," said I, " sinks below yon granite peaks — the 
shades of evening will call us together again, and we will 
talk of 'the furniture within the court, the great altar, 
and the laver." 



84 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Altar of Burxt-offerixg axd the Layer. 

Abdallah busied himself with the cares of the camp, 
and left the company seated round the table. The pure, 
invigorating air of these mountain heights seemed to in- 
spire cheerfulness, and both mind and body felt the stim- 
ulating influence. The great barren desert and the lofty 
mountains shut them in on every side, and they felt their 
complete isolation from all the busy multitudes of 
the great world. The conversation immediately turned 
upon the subject that had occupied their attention at the 
well in the convent. 

" So vivid," says one, " are the impressions of the 
afternoon, I seem to be standing within the court with 
the door-curtains closed behind me." 

"And what do you see there ?" said another. 

" The way of access to the dwelling-place of Jehovah." 

" By what passport," said I. 

"Atonement and purification — the altar and the laver." 

The Altar of Burnt- Off ering . 
It is the first thing you meet as you enter the court, 
stands directly before you and the entrance to the Taber-* 
nacle. It was made after the pattern shown Moses in 
the mount, and special direction was given for every part 
of the structure. The wood was the same as used in the 
Tabernacle, and overlaid with heavy plates of brass to 



THE ALTAR OF BURXT-OFFERIXG AXD THE LAYER. 85 

protect it from the fire.* For this reason it was called 
the brazen altar. It was also called the Great Altar, be- 
cause so much larger than the Golden Altar of the Holy 
Place. It was the Altar of Burnt-offering, because on it 
the offerings were consumed by fire. The four corners 
were surmounted with projections called horns, made 
also of the same kind of wood and overlaid with brass. 
The horn was the symbol of strength, majesty and dig- 
nity. This altar was square ; the altars of the Greeks 
and Romans were usually round ; all Hebrew altars were 
square. Each of its sides was five cubits (seven and a 
half feet) ; its height was three cubits (four and a half 
feet) ; its superficial area upon the top forty-one and one- 
fourth feet. It was just twice the size of the ark, and 
the largest article of furniture that pertained to the 
Tabernacle. 

Upon the top of the altar was a plate or net- work of 
brass, placed a in the midst of the altar" — that is, upon 
the center, or in the middle of the square upon which 
the fire was kindled. This had brass rings upon the 
four corners, by which it was held in place, and was 
probably dropped below the surface, making a hollow 
place, or kind of furnace in which the fire was kindled. 
The ambiguity in the description of this grate has given 
rise to great diversity of opinion as to its locality and 
use. Some think it was not to lay the fire upon, but was 
an attachment upon the outside of the altar, hung mid- 
way between the top and the bottom, and that this is 
what is meant by " placing it in the midst of the altar," 

* The Hebrew has the same word for both copper and brass, 
but our translation always renders it by brass, even when the 
context shows the simple metal copper was intended, as in Deut. 
viii,9. — Bush on Ex. 25. 



8G HAM-MISHKANj THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

and that its use Avas to catch any portion of the fire that 
might fall in burning the sacrifice. But if such protec- 
tion for the holy fire was necessary, it would seem that 
some provision should still be made so to place the fire 
upon the top of the altar that it might burn freely, as it 
was also necessary to have some such grating through 
which the coals and ashes could fall into the receptacle 
below, from which they were taken out in the ash-pans 
through the doors in the side of the altar. 

There is a tradition among the Jews that this altar was 
partially filled with earth. Such was probably the case, 
for the amount of fire needed to consume the sacrifice 
would make so great a heat both brass and boards would 
be likely to be injured or destroyed if the fire came 
in contact with them. In removing it, the earth could 
be left, which would greatly facilitate the ease of its 
transportation. 

The altars of the Hebrews were always to be made 
plain. When stone was used they must be unhewn : 
" For if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." 
This prohibition probably arose from the customs of 
idolaters in carving their altars with images, and to pre- 
vent any tendency in that direction. 

Our English word altar, it is said, is a very unmean- 
ing one. The etymology of it has no meaning at alL 
It comes from the Latin word altus, and that denotes 
nothing but a high or elevated place. The Hebrew word 
for altar is one that denotes the idea of sacrifice. It 
comes from an old word that signifies to slay or to 
slaughter. So that when the Hebrew spoke of the altar 
the very term which he employed told him of a place 
where sacrifices were offered ; where blood was shed, and 
life was taken away. — Newton. 



THE ALTAR OF BURNT-OFFERING AND THE LAYER. 87 

The utensils for the service of the altar were five in 
number — pans, in which to receive and remove the ashes ; 
these ashes were to be removed and deposited in a clean 
place without the camp (Lev. vi, 11) ; shovels, by which 
the ashes were scooped together and thrown into pans, 
probably also used to lift the burning coals and fill the 
pans and censers ; basins, for retaining and carrying 
the blood of the victims ; blood was so constantly used 
in all parts of the Tabernacle service these basins would 
be in constant use ; flesh-hooks, or forks, for adjusting 
the parts of the sacrifice, if any were out of place, or 
where the fire could not reach them — the wicked sons 
of Eli basely perverted the use of these flesh-hooks, rob- 
bing the sacrifices offered to God for their own emolu- 
ment ; fire-pans, these were different from the pans for 
the ashes, perhaps sometimes used as censers upon which 
to place the burning coals from the altar for burning in- 
cense, but oftener, and this probably was their most com- 
mon use, to hold the sacred fire while the altar was being 
cleaned, removed, as the holy fire, when once kindled, 
was never permitted to go out. — Lev. vi, 13. All the 
appurtenances of the altar were to be made of brass. 

Brass rings were placed in the sides of the altar, by 
means of which it was carried upon the shoulders of the 
Levites by long poles of acacia wood overlaid with brass. 
The offices of religion were never to be suspended; 
wherever encamped, the altars and ordinances of religion 
must be in their midst. God had kindled the fire, they 
must keep it burning. The priests were forbidden in 
their ministrations to ascend the altar of the Lord by 
steps. This prohibition was undoubtedly made in opposi- 
tion to the practices of the heathen nations whose im- 
modest exhibitions in their worship made this prohibition 



88 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

the more necessary. This altar was not so high but its 
ordinary ministrations could be performed by one 
standing upon the ground. If any agency was neces- 
sary it was probably a sloping embankment of earth upon 
one side. In Lev. ix, 22 : Aaron came down from offering 
the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings. 

As Elnathan closed this general description of the altar, 
it was suggested that as the laver stood in such close 
connection with it, the lessons of the one could not be 
well understood without the other. 

The Brazen Laver. 

" I will first read," said Elnathan, " the direction given 
to Moses : ' Thou shalt make a laver of brass, and his 
foot also of brass, to wash withal ; and thou shalt put it 
between the Tabernacle and the altar, and thou shalt put 
water therein, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their 
feet thereat when they go into the Tabernacle of the con- 
gregation ; they shall wash with water that they die not.' ' : 
—Ex. xxx, 18-20. 

"A singular thing in the construction of this laver was 
the manner in which the material was procured. It was 
made from the looking-glasses, or rather metal mirrors 
of the women that assembled at the door of the congrega- 
tion for worship — meaning the Tabernacle of Moses, of 
which we have spoken." 

" There has been much questioning," interrupted Jason, 
" as to this material, and the motive, and the manner of 
the offering." 

"What dost thou think," said the Rabbi, who was evi- 
dently listening with close attention. 

" I am inclined," was the reply, " to quite a literal in- 
terpretation of the narrative. We know that metal mir- 



THE BRAZEN LAVEP,. 89 

rors were in use from very ancient times. Even Job 
makes allusion to them, and speaks of God spreading out 
the heavens as a molten mirror. The women of Israel 
seem to have been well supplied with the jewelry of Egypt, 
and would be likely to have also a plentiful supply of 
mirrors. They were a convenience, perhaps we might 
say necessity, that would likely be used by all classes. 
There were also many devout women in this great multi- 
tude that were accustomed to assemble at the Tabernacle 
to worship. The Septuagint calls them ' fasting women/ 
Nor would I attribute to them any improper use of these 
mirrors, as some have done ; as that they were used for 
idolatrous purposes, or for vain show, and gratification 
of pride in decking their persons. It is certainly an in- 
teresting fact here incidentally brought out, and much to 
the honor of the women, that while they had no special 
duties enjoined upon them in the public services, many 
of them were in the habit, from the very promptings of 
their own devout hearts, of engaging in acts of social 
piety and devotion. When these pious women learned 
that the material was needed for the service of the Sanc- 
tuary, they made a free-will offering of what to them was 
desirable and useful. As mirrors they had used them to 
behold their own natural faces, and in personal adorn- 
ments, but they were willing to make the sacrifice,, and 
devote them when needed to the service of the Lord 
from the devout promptings of their own hearts. Trans- 
formed into a great receptacle of the waters of purifica- 
tion, they could now be reminded of that purity of heart,, 
and those adorning graces that would only commend them 
to God. The women had previously been ready to break 
off their ear-rings to aid Israel's idolatry of the golden 



90 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

calf, but now, better instructed, were equally ready to 
sacrifice useful articles to build the brazen laver. If a 
like consecration and zeal now prevailed, how many rings 
and bracelets, and jewels of gold could be spared from 
the unnecessary adornments of the person to be trans- 
formed into jewels in the crown of Christian triumph." 

But let Elnathan go on with his description : 

" No particular direction is given as to the form or size 
of this laver, but we presume it was made round and 
bowl-shaped. No great amount of water would now be 
necessary, and it must be of such dimensions as to be 
easily transported. Subsequently, in the temple, it was 
succeeded by a great molten sea, fifteen feet in diameter 
and seven and a half high. 

"God always makes ample provisions for the wants of 
His worshipers ; in the Tabernacle the laver, in the tem- 
ple the great brazen sea, and when these were no longer 
needed a great fountain opened through a better dispen- 
sation for all to wash from sin and uncleanness. We are 
not to suppose the priests washed in the laver ; the wa- 
ter was drawn by spouts or faucets in basins or other 
convenient receptacles. At this laver the priests were 
to wash their hands and feet. This was an imperative 
command they dare not disobey. Every time they left 
and re-entered the court in their ministrations, they were 
to wash their feet. The entire bodies of the priests were 
washed at their consecration as a symbol of the purity 
demanded in their holy office. 

" Wherever the laver is mentioned, and this is done in 
many places, special mention is made in connection with 
it of ' the foot : ' 'And he made the laver of brass, and 
its foot ; ' and so the foot is almost uniformly mentioned 
wherever the laver is mentioned. At the dedication, and 



THE BRAZEN LAYER. 91 

general anointing of the Tabernacle and the furniture, 
the anointing oil was applied to the laver and 'his 
foot.' Why so frequent and special mention of the 
foot of the layer ? Must there not have been an 
importance and use connected with it we have not yet 
understood ? 

" Some suppose the foot of the laver was a sort of 
basin or receptable into which the water was drawn in 
small quantities as needed, and in which the priests 
bathed, and from which the impure water was discharged, 
and thus was specially anointed. 

" Xo mention is made of the manner of transport- 
ing the laver. It probably had rings for bearing 
poles, like the great altar. The Septuagint and the 
Samaritan prescribe the method of packing it — it was 
covered with a purple cloth, protected by a covering of 
skins. 

** The place of the laver in the court was between the 
altar and the Tabernacle. Some say the altar stood 
twenty-five feet from the door of the court, and the laver 
twenty-five feet from that, thus dividing into three equal 
spaces the distance between the door of the court and 
the outer veil of the Tabernacle." 

As Elnathan closed, Jason, with his usual impulsive 
manner, exclaimed : "Altar and laver ! The fire, the 
water, and the blood ! The priest and the victim ! What 
strange things are here ! Why should there be an altar, 
and the innocent perish for the guilty ? Marvelous are 
Thy ways, Lord God of Hosts, yet in wisdom hast 
Thou ordered them all ! " 

" Many," said I, " are the lessons of the laver ; of 
these we shall see more as we proceed. 



92 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

" Only the hands and feet were washed, a part being 
taken for the whole. When Messiah washed the disci- 
ples' feet on the eve of the passover, He said in reply to 
Peter, ' He that is washed needeth only to wash his feet, 
"but is clean every whit,' alluding to the symbolic 
cleansing." 

" Water," said Ben Achmed, " was not only necessary 
in bodily ablutions, but was an impressive symbol of 
moral purification. The hands and feet were the parts 
immediately employed in the sacred ministrations ; the 
hands arranged the sacrifices, and the feet went hither 
and thither among the consecrated vessels. As the priests 
performed the service in their bare feet, they needed 
often to come to the cleansing waters. The Psalmist 
says, ' I will wash my hands in innocency, so will I com- 
pass Thine altars, Lord of Hosts.' " 

" The water and the laver," said Elnathan, " continu- 
ally enforced the necessity of purification. It was a type 
of the work of the Holy Spirit. Sin not only incurs 
guilt, and thus exposes us to punishment, but it also de- 
files, and thus renders us unfit for holy associations. We 
first need pardon to save us from the punishment of sin, 
and then sanctification to fit us for the society of holy 
heings. Thus we sing : 

' Be of sin the double cure, 
Save from wrath, and make me pure.' " 

" Continually," said Jason, " we contract guilt ; con- 
tinually need the waters of purification. Cleanse us, 
Savior, in Thy blood ; robe us in the garments of Thy 
purity, and make us meet for the inheritance of the 
saints in glory ! " 



THE EVENING PRAYER. 9$ 

A moment of deep silence followed, which was broken 
by the bell of the Convent of St. Catharine calling the 
brethren to their evening orisons. 

" Let it be our summons also," said I, "the altar and 
laver bring us near to God. We may come with bold- 
ness, for the altar abideth forever, and cleansing blood is 
always in the hand of the Great Mediator." 

The Evening Prayer. 
Almighty God, Father Omnipotent, Omniscient ! Thy 
throne is in the heavens, but Thy blessings fall on earth, 
like the refreshing dew and the gentle rain. 0, Most 
Holy One, beneath this mount of Thine awful majesty 
Thou didst visit Thy people, and the cloud of Thy glory 
rested above the Tabernacle of men. Here Thou didst 
build Thine altar and appoint the atoning sacrifice ; here 
Thou didst set the laver with its purifying waters. Here 
the sin-offering and the thank-offering ascended to Thy 
heavens, and the guilty found peace and reconciliation. 
God, we bow down before Thee, and from this desert 
sanctuary, into which Thou didst bring Thy redeemed 
people, and where the oblation and the incense ascended 
to Thy throne, we give thanks unto Thee, for Thy mercy 
endureth forever. Lord, God of Israel, Guide of all who 
seek Thine holy altars, teach us the great lessons of re- 
demption, the way of life, the way to Messiah, Thy re- 
deeming One. Bring us to the real blood of atonement, 
to the waters of regeneration. Make this wilderness 
and solitary place joyful with Thy presence, and make 
us drink of the refreshing streams of life. Shelter us, 
most merciful Father, this night under the shadow of 
Thy wings, and make us rest in peace and safety. Let 



94 

the morning be the dawning of a day of helpful service 
and holy communion, and open to us the sacred treasures 
of Thy holy oracles, and bring us at last with the great 
company who have overcome by the majesty of the cease- 
less atonement; so shall we rejoice in Thee and render 
praise everlasting, Amen. 



SACRIFICES. 9S 



CHAPTER IX. 

Sacrifices. 

The morning dawned bright and cheerful, and the com- 
pany were early astir. At the table one seat was vacant. 
As they looked out upon the cheerless desert, around 
them silence reigned supreme over the desolate land- 
scape — no fragrance of flowers, no songs of birds, scarce 
the hum of an insect to disturb the hush of the morning. 
Suddenly the silence was broken by the soft melody of a 
morning song : 

Sing to the Lord ! The shades of night, 
At His command, have passed away ; 

And the dim morning's doubtful light, 
Hath brightened into full-orbed day. 

Watched by that Eye that never sleeps, 

Safe in His confidence we slept; 
Who sun and stars innumerous keeps, 

His servants faithfully hath kept. 

Now called to duty by the light, 

Our morning thanks to Thee we pay, 

For the kind ministry of the night, 
For the new glories of the day. 

— Jewish Hymns. 

It was Ben Achmed returning from a morning ramble 
up the deep valley of the Leja. By the rock of Moses 
he had been in earnest communion with God. As he 
took his seat, he pleasantly gave them the old Abrahamic 
salutation — Shalam Alichem — to which they responded,, 



96 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

With you be peace. There was a glow upon his counte- 
nance that might well remind one of Moses when he came 
down from the mount. He had not been upon the mount 
of glory, but he had been in the deep valley of humilia- 
tion, and in his earnest pleadings he had felt that God 
was a spirit and could as well be worshiped in the desert 
as in the Tabernacle, or at Zion's golden shrines. None 
of his companions as yet knew the secret struggles of 
his heart. There was One speaking to him, but as yet he 
knew not the voice, saying, as to doubting Thomas, " Put 
thy fingers into the prints of the nails." 

The morning ramble was over the plain of Rahah that 
lies close under the base of Horeb. On the south of 
this the majestic mountain lifts its hoary summit, in an 
almost perpendicular mass, near two thousand feet into 
the heavens. 

" This broad plain," said I, " so favorably situated, 
must have been the head-quarters of the encampment. 
Prom this, and the surrounding hills and valleys, a vast 
multitude could easily witness those sublime exhibitions, 
when the mountain was ablaze with the glory of a de- 
scending God. Here the people were literally ' encamped 
before the mount.' Upon this plain, I have no doubt, 
the Tabernacle was erected : it would be the most con- 
venient place in all these mountain localities." 

" I have no doubt of that," said another, " but it is not 
at all essential to our studies that we should know the 
exact locality." 

" It is best," said Ben Achmed, " we should not know. 
As God concealed the grave of Mosheh, so He has left 
no monument to mark the spot where His Shekinah 
rested. Men might be left to entertain a superstitious 
reverence for such hallowed shrines. It is enough for 



SACRIFICES. 97 

us to know the revelation — the great lessons taught by 
Jehovah in this school of theology." 

" Were these great lessons for Israel alone ? " said I. 

" No ; Mosheh belonged to the whole world. He was 
a prophet of God to the nations." 

"Must men, then, come to Moses to learn the truth?" 

"Redemption," continued the Rabbi, "is a progressive 
work. The Ten Words are a sublime monument of Je- 
hovah, the everlasting pillars that uphold the mighty 
structure of morality — of religion. We must begin at 
Sinai. The law came by Mosheh." 

" You speak in parable," said I. 

" No, I speak plainly, and no parable. We are speak- 
ing of redemption, and the spiritual nature of man. Je- 
hovah, blessed be His name, seeks to bring man back to 
paradise and the tree of life. Sin corrupts and blinds 
and hardens. Jehovah must be seen in all his attri- 
butes — just, as well as merciful. In religion, or redemp- 
tion shall we say, there must be something to fear, then 
something to reverence, then something to love. Fear, 
much as men may decry it, lies at the foundation of all 
government. Sinai was first a place of fear and trem- 
bling ; then of awe and reverence ; this prepared the 
way for the richer developments of mercy and love. 
Mosheh laid the foundation." 

" After the lessons of Sinai, then," said I, " to whom 
shall we go ? " 

"You may teach me," said the Rabbi. 

" I shall take you then to One who said, ' A new com- 
mandment I give unto you.' The teaching of Messiah 
is the crowning glory of Moses — God is love, and he 
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 
9 



98 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out 
fear." 

"I know King Meshiah was to restore all things. 
Long have ■ I sought, and earestly prayed ; but in these 
things I am no Rabbi." 

" When Saul of Tarsus said, ' I met Jesus in the way/ 
he was smitten with blindness, and another led him." 

" I am blind, who will lead me ? " 

"Let us go again into the court, and stand by the 
great altar and the laver, and study the atoning sacrifices^ 
Jehovah will lead us." 

Sacrifices and Oblations. 

Again we condense the long conversation in which the 
Rabbi took the lead. 

With the great altar of burnt-offering that stood im- 
mediately within the court all priestly ministrations 
and all acts of worship conducted in the Tabernacle were 
inseparably connected. No sin could be atoned for, no 
praise or thanksgiving could ascend to God without the 
intervention of this all-important altar. From this 
ascended the sweet savor of the morning and evening 
sacrifice, and from its fire the incense was burned on the 
golden altar. The Sabbath completing each week, and 
giving a type of rest yet to come, was ushered in by 
additional offerings on this altar. Each year and each 
month, as it rolled round, commenced with extra sac- 
rifices consumed here. The feasts as they recurred,, 
marking annual periods of humiliation or joy, were cele- 
brated by abundant victims offered at this appointed 
place, for a memorial acceptance before the Lord. 
Whether an individual Israelite or the assembled con- 
gregation approached to worship God, this great altar 



SACRIFICES. 99 

was called into requisition. Every step and ceremony 
in the consecration of the priesthood was marked by its 
connection with the victims and the blood here offered 
up to God. In fact, the very existence of Israel as a 
nation, and the liberty of each individual among them, 
were, in a certain sense, linked with this place of sac- 
rifice and atonement. We have yet to see how all this 
was typical and intimately connected with the one great 
offering of Calvary. 

The offerings are of several kinds, but may all be in- 
cluded in four general classes : 

First and Second. The sin-offering and the trespass- 
offering. These were closely allied, and some think may 
be included in one. They were a sacrifice of expiation. 

Third. The holocaust, or whole burnt-offering; the 
broad, or general sacrifice for the individual, or the 
nation. 

Fourth. The thanks, or peace-offering ; a pacific sac- 
rifice, or obligation of festivity and intercommunion. 

To these may be added the meat-offering, but as the 
design of this was the same in part as the above, it may 
be included in the same general classification. 

The same may be said of the wave and the heave-offer- 
ings, as these terms relate merely to the manner in which 
the others were presented. In the wave-offering the 
priest put his hand under those of the offerer, directing 
him, and moved the portions of the sacrifice upward and 
downward, backward and forward, or as some say to the 
right and left. The throwing upward and the taking 
back was the heave-offering ; the lateral motion the 
wave offering. 

The articles brought to the altar were taken, some 



100 

from the animal and some from the vegetable kingdom,, 
and so are classified as bloody and bloodless-offerings. 

Of these offerings some w ere prescribed or compulsory — 
to be offered at fixed times, and for specific reasons. 
Jehovah offended must be propitiated; atonement must 
be made. Some were voluntary or free-will offerings, 
brought without compulsion, at the convenience of the 
offerer ; expressing sometimes the desire to propitiate 
God's favor, sometimes thankfulness to the great Giver 
for His favors and mercies. Gratitude, like incense,, 
ascends without coercion — spontaneous offering of grate- 
ful and adoring hearts. 

In all these sacrifices God sought to impress the peo- 
ple with a sense of their indebtedness to Him and their 
dependence on Him ; to lead them to a sense of their 
sinfulness and His holiness — to teach them to approach 
Him with reverence and adoration. 

The Meat- Offering. 

The general name of all offerings, or in general of any 
obligation presented to God, was corban — a gift. Cor- 
ban answers precisely to our English word oblation. 
This term included the meat as well as the animal- 
offering. The meat-offering was called mincha — a blood- 
less offering. By meat-offering is not meant flesh or 
animal food, as we now generally use the term meat. 
In these offerings meat is used in the same sense as 
in Gen. i, 29 : " Behold I have given you every herb 
bearing seed. ... To you it shall be for meat." 
No animal food was mingled with the meat-offering. 

Meat-offerings were brought sometimes by themselves, 
sometimes in connection with the burnt or peace-offerings. 
They were sometimes public, sometimes private. In 



SACRIFICES. 101 

only two instances do they seem to have been brought 
alone — in case of extreme poverty, where they were 
used as a burnt-offering (Lev. v, 11), and in the offering 
in the case of jealousy. — Num. v, 15. 

In both these cases oil was forbidden to be mingled 
with them. With all meat-offerings salt was to be 
mingled. The three public meat-offerings were the 
twelve loaves of show-bread, renewed every Sabbath- 
day, the omer or sheaf of the harvest on the second day 
of the passover, and the wave loaves at pentecost on the 
completion of the harvest. 

The manna, the corn, the olive, and all the products 
of the earth by which the body is sustained are made 
of figures of that food by which the spiritual nature is 
nourished and supported. By the labors of the husband- 
man the body lives ; by the fruits of the spiritual hus- 
bandry the soul is sustained and enlarged. 

Five of these offerings were purely voluntary, and were 
prepared as some say as follows : 

1. Fine flour not baked mingled with oil. 

2. Cakes of several sorts baked in an oven. 

3. Cakes baked upon a plate or pan. 

4. Cakes baked upon a gridiron or grate with holes in 
it ; said to be the same as the wafers. — Lev. ii, 4-7. 

5. The first fruits of the new corn sometimes roasted. 
These offerings were to consist of at least one omer 

of corn, or what was the same a tenth part of an ephah, 
or a little more than five pints. 

The meat-offering also included or was generally ac- 
companied by the drink-offering, which was never used 
only with other offerings. A part of it was poured out 
upon the substance offered. The drink-offering was in use 
long before the days of Moses. "When Jacob on his re- 



102 HAM-MTSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

turn from Padan Aram set up a stone of memorial where 
God talked with him he poured out a drink-offering upon 
it accompanied with oil. 

The meat-offering was sometimes wholly consumed 
upon the altar. In such cases it was reckoned a burnt- 
offering. The cakes were always in some way mingled 
with olive oil. This oil was a symbol of peace, prosper- 
ity, and abundance. It was, as we have seen in the case 
of Jacob, in early use among the patriarchs. With the 
olive oil was often mingled the various sweet spices that 
composed the holy anointing oil, and was a beautiful em- 
blem of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling all acts of 
devotion should be prompted. 

Leaven, Honey and Salt. 

All meat-offerings brought to the altar, as indeed all 
offerings, were to be without leaven. Leaven is the be- 
ginning of decay — the emblem of corruption, and is thus 
used as the emblem of sin in the heart, which we are 
exhorted to purge out. 

Honey was always forbidden to be mingled with these 
offerings. The reason for this is not so plain ; some 
suppose it was a custom of the idolaters that God had 
special reasons for His people to avoid. 

Salt was mingled with all the sacrifices. This was an 
imperative command : " With all thine offerings thou shalt 
offer salt. 5 ' As leaven was the symbol of corruption, so 
salt was the symbol of incorruption, soundness, and du- 
rability. The oblation was the food of Jehovah's table, 
and was not complete without this necessary accompani- 
ment. 

Salt has always been used among oriental nations as a 
symbol of friendship and hospitality. To eat salt with 



SACRIFICES. 103 

one was equivalent to a covenant of amity. So, in 
formal covenants, salt was used. Moses, in speaking of 
this use of it, says : " It is a covenant of salt unto thee 
forever." He who lacks, in his service to God, the true 
spirit of sincerity and devotion, has taken away the salt 
of the covenant of his God. 

Manner of Offering. 

Directions for presenting the meat-offering are found 
in Lev. iv., 14—18. The priest took a handful of the flour, 
and the oil that pertained to it, and all the frankincense, 
and burnt them upon the altar — it was a sweet savor- 
offering. If cakes were brought they were to be broken 
in pieces and oil poured upon them. A few of the pieces 
were burned upon the altar, and the residue belonged to 
the priests. The part eaten was to be eaten without 
leaven, and only in the Holy Place. They were not al- 
lowed to take it to their homes, and none but the males 
of their families could feast upon it. But the meat-offer- 
ings, both the prescribed and the voluntary presented by 
the priests for themselves, was to be wholly burned upon 
the altar. No part of it was to be eaten — the whole must 
be dedicated to the Lord. 

As the company continued their conversation, Ben 
Achmed read from the Targum some of the special direc- 
tions regulating these offerings, accompanied with inter- 
esting comments of his own. 

" These bloodless offerings," said Elnathan, " were 
wisely ordained, though incumbered with numerous cere- 
monies. By them the people were taught many impor- 
tant lessons ; by these they were taught to recognize the 
sovereignty and bounty of God. In the meat-offering — 
the meal, the olive, and the fruit of the vine, they saw 



104 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

the main support of life ; the symbols of richness and 
plenty ; of vigor and refreshment. They were continu- 
ally reminded that all the blessings of earth came from 
God ; that upon Him all were dependent, and thus they 
were incited to gratitude and praise. 

" It was indeed," said I, " a beautiful arrangement to 
keep alive in their hearts a grateful remembrance of God ; 
but we are yet to speak of the more important offerings 
by which atonement was made for sin, and reconciliation 
with God was sought." 

The sun was high in the heavens, and the company 
sought the shade of an acacia tree that stood near, as 
they continued the conversation. 

" I can almost imagine," said one, " it was just here 
the smoke of the burning sacrifice ascended from the 
great altar. How solemn must have been the place to 
the Hebrew worshiper ! What a place for adoration in 
this amphitheater of lofty mountains ! How doubts must 
have been dissipated, and faith strengthened, by these 
wonderful manifestations of Jehovah's power and pres- 
ence ! " 

The subject of the continued conversation was : 

The Expiatory Sacrifices. 
As we have divided the sacrifice into two great classes, 
the bloody and the bloodless, another dual division might 
be made, including the whole. We might call them the 
eucharistic and the expiatory. The meat-offerings were 
eucharistic, so were some of the animal-offerings ; others 
were piacular — that is, in them atonement and reconcilia- 
tion were sought. The High Priest was ordained to offer 
both gifts and sacrifices, and in this was a type of Mes- 
siah, our High Priest, who offered Himself without spot 



SACRIFICES. 105 

unto God, and has gone into the heavens, not with the 
blood of hosts, but with His own blood to make atone- 
ment for us. 

" Strange," said Jason, " that the life of an innocent 
victim should be substituted for the life of the trans- 
gressor ! The guiltless for the guilty ! Why was the 
blood of the unoffending shed for the guilty ? " 

"The law of the Ten Words," said Ben Achmed, 
" were heard from yonder lofty mountain. If there had 
been no penalty for disobedience, where would have been 
its authority ? Men must be taught the necessity of 
obedience, the enormity of transgression ; and if guilty, 
the way of reconciliation." 

The Kind of Animals Chosen. 

The selection was made from the clean animals, and 
from those most common in pastoral life ; from those 
most useful among men, and those generally used for 
food. Five kinds were included ; those of the ox kind, 
goats, sheep, young pigeons and turtle-doves. The birds 
must be young, and were always brought in pairs. In 
some offerings the kind demanded was graded by the 
ability of the persons ; the rich brought the more costly, 
as a bullock ; the man of moderate means, a sheep or a 
goat ; the poor, the doves and the pigeons. Jehovah, 
blessed be His name, is merciful ; poverty shuts no one 
from His altars. 

kk Yes," said Elnathan, " the way of access to God is 
still open. It was given as one of the evidences of the 
Messiahship in Jesus ; the poor have the gospel preached 
to them- May God lead us into the mysteries of re- 
demption, and the efficacy of atoning blood, to Him who 
can have compassion on the erring and the ignorant." 



106 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

"All defective animals," continued the Rabbi, " were 
excluded. Any man of the house of Israel, or of the 
strangers among them, who would offer an oblation of 
any of their vows, or of a free-will offering, or a burnt- 
sacrifice, must bring a victim of his consecration perfect 
before the Lord. Men could not serve Jehovah with the 
lame, the blind or the diseased. ' I will not,' said the 
Psalmist, ' serve God with that which cost me nothing.' ' 

As the consecrated victims must be without blemish, 
so must be the officiating priest. No man that had a 
blemish could approach to offer the bread or food of his 
God. 

In the holocaust, or where the victim was to be wholly 
consumed by the fire, males only could be offered, except 
in case of the birds ; in these no distinction was made be- 
tween male and female. 

The age of these animals was also specified. The bul- 
locks were generally three years old. The sheep and the 
goats must not be less than eight days, and from that to 
one year. In sin-offerings any of these animals were 
used. In trespass-offerings the same except the bullocks. 

All sacrifices must be cheerful and voluntary. There 
were voluntary offerings where the person was left to his 
own choice to present them or not ; some, as we have 
seen, were prescribed, that is, made obligatory, but even 
these must be cheerfully and willingly brought ; not 
from any feeling of compulsion, but from a sense of need. 
The offerer must feel the consciousness of sin, and come 
with voluntary confession, feeling his need of pardon. 
A compulsory gift is no gift. 

No one was allowed to set up an altar of his own ; the 
offering must be brought to the place appointed by the 
Lord, and in a becoming spirit, and must be offered 



SACRIFICES. 107 

through such mediatorial agency as Jehovah, the God of 
the altar, dictated. They must also be of such as had 
belonged to the offerer. He could not substitute the 
property of another for his own. The whole arrange- 
ment was such as to strike at the root of selfishness and 
covetousness, and promote honesty and sincerity before 
God. 

Another important division of the sacrifices was into 
holy and most holy. Lev. vi, 17. Certain meat-offer- 
ings, and all burnt, sin and trespass-offerings, as well as 
public peace-offerings, were most holy, and were either 
not partaken of at all, or else only by the officiating 
priests, and within the court of the sanctuary. The 
less holy were slain at the east or south side of the 
altar ; the most holy on the north side. 

GocVs Bounty Recognized. 

All the first-born of the flocks, and the herd, were es- 
pecially devoted to God, and were to be offered as sacri- 
fices. A part of these offerings were to be burned 
upon the altar, and the rest given to the priests. Lev. 
xxvii, 26. If any of there firstlings were diseased or 
deformed they were deemed unfit for the altar, and 
were to be slain ; but they might be redeemed from 
death by the payment of a price equivalent to their 
value. 

The people were taught to look upon the products of 
the soil as a gift from God, and He was to be honored by 
an oblation of the first fruits. Of all from the field and 
garden, the wool of the flock, and the honey from the 
hive, a portion was brought and dedicated to God. This 
was a recognition of the source whence all blessings 
came ; and this presentation of a part was equivalent to 



108 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

an acknowledgment that all belonged to God, as the 
bountiful Giver. 

Twice every year this acknowledgment was made by 
the representatives of the nation at large — first at. the 
passover, the beginning of the harvest. On the second 
day of this feast, a sheaf of ripe grain was carried in 
solemn procession to the courts of God, and with frank- 
incense waved before the Lord. Again, at pentecost, 
after the harvest was completed, loaves made of new corn 
were presented in the same manner as a wave-offering. 
God is the fountain of all our blessings, temporal as 
well as spiritual ; only by His blessing upon the labor of 
our hands can we prosper. He causes the earth to bring 
forth seed for the sower, and bread for the eater. His 
goodness and beneficence should be had in continual re- 
membrance, and to Him should our offerings be made. 

The Holocaust. 

" The holocaust, or whole burnt-offering, was that 
which was wholly consumed by fire upon the altar — ex- 
cept the skin — which was given to the priest — the refuse 
and the ashes — all ascending in smoke and flame to God. 
No part of it was eaten either by the priest or the wor- 
shiper. 

" Particular directions are given in the first chapter of 
Leviticus as to the manner of presenting the free-will 
holocaust of the individual. The victim might be a bul- 
lock of three years old, a lamb or kid, or turtle-doves or 
young pigeons. The wealth or property of the individ- 
ual seems not, as in the sin-offering, to have determined 
the kind. The disposition of the worshiper was the 
thing looked to, not the costliness of the offering. With 
the birds no distinction of sex was made, but the offering 



SACRIFICES. 10£> 

from the herd must be a male. When the Israelite 
brought this oblation to the altar, he laid his hand upon 
the head of the victim, and acknowledged the Lord as 
the giver of all he possessed. It was a significant act, 
implying that he not only devoted the animal to God, but 
confessing, and conscious of his sin, he prayed that his 
guilt and punishment might be transferred to the victim, 
whose life was now offered in place of his own. It w r as 
an implied dedication of himself without reserve; his 
substance, soul and body to the great Giver of all for the 
promotion of His glory." 

" That reminds me," said Jason, " of what Paul says 
to the Romans : ' I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by 
the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a liv- 
ing sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God.' ' : 

" The design of this offering," continued Achmed, 
" was to make atonement for sins in general, as it is said : 
' He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offer- 
ing, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement 
for him.' " 

Besides the free-will offering of the individual, there 
were specified burnt-offerings in the name, and for the 
nation at large. The two lambs offered daily, one in the 
morning and one in the evening, with two additional 
ones each Sabbath day, were public holocausts for the 
whole people. So, also, an occasional one was offered 
when the whole congregation had sinned (Num. xv, 24), 
viz.: at the new moon; on each of the seven days of the 
passover ; 'the day after the passover Sabbath ; at pente- 
cost ; at the feast of trumpets ; feast of Tabernacles, and 
on the great day of atonement. When other sacrifices 
were brought, this one followed the sin — but preceded the 
peace-offering. It seems to have dedicated a general 



110 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

acceptance of the worshiper, on the ground that there 
had been a special acceptance through previous offerings. 
This was one of the sweet-savor offerings — an offer- 
ing made by fire, a sweet savor unto the Lord. — Lev. i, 
13. The willingness and devotion of the worshiper; the 
penitence for sin expressed in his oblation, and the im- 
plied consecration of himself, made it expressly pleasing 
to heaven. The oblation of an adoring heart is always 
delightful to God, and ascends a sweet savor unto Him. 

The Trespass and Sin- Offerings. 

The trespass-offering and the sin-offering were closely 
allied ; in many points they seemed to touch each other. 
All were for sin, but distinctions were made between 
different kinds of sins. The ceremonies differed ; but, in 
all, atonement was made and pardon sought. 

Trespass-offerings were not required of the people 
as a nation. They were individual offerings for speci- 
fied individual sins, offered as occasion or necessity de- 
manded. The trespasses that could be thus expiated 
were of five kinds, and are enumerated in the first chap- 
ter of Leviticus. These sins were generally such as 
infringed on the rights of property, and were in addition 
to the offering — restitution, if possible, was to be made, 
with the addition of one-fifth to the principal. 

The animal brought for a trespass-offering was always 
a male sheep. The private person, the ruler and the 
priest, brought the same. The only distinction made 
was that, in some specified cases, the victim might be 
young — a lamb of the first year. — Lev. xiv, 12. Here 
there seems to be no substitute even in the case of pov- 
erty. The ceremonials were mostly the same as in the 
sin-offering, except in the sprinkling of the blood. In 



SACRIFICES. Ill 

this case it "was thrown upon two diagonally opposite 
corners of the altar, so as to touch all the four sides. 
The fat was burned upon the altar and the flesh disposed 
of as in the sin-offering. 

The six-offerixg was the far more important of the 
two. It was a sublime memorial calculated to impress upon 
the people the holiness of Jehovah, the integrity of His 
law, the rigor of His justice, and the certainty of the 
punishment of the transgressor. The soul that sinned 
must die — either in his own person, or by the substitute 
presented at the altar of God. This seems to have been 
eminently an institution of the Sinaitic revelation. Je- 
hovah's law had here shone out before all the people, 
made luminous by the lightnings of His throne, and im- 
pressed by the awful thunders of His voice. The law 
must be recognized and obeyed; and yet the rigid exac- 
tions of Jehovah were mingled with mercy. The trans- 
gressor was not left in utter hopelessness. There were, 
in some cases, willful and presumptuous transgressions 
for which no sacrificial atonement was provided; as 
among men there are sins human governments can not 
consistently or safely pardon — the blasphemer was 
stoned — died without mercy. 

Seldom, however, was sin of that enormous kind. 
Yet the rigor of the command was calculated to arouse 
anxiety. The man might come to Moses and say : " The 
way is straighter than I can bear ; thou dost hedge us up 
unto death. Every day we sin, how can we have life?" 
Then Moses could point to the saving provisions of the 
law, show them how the law could be honored, and par- 
don extended. 

The sin-offering was the recognition of guilt — of the 
man's just condemnation — his need of cleansing and 



112 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

pardon. On the other hand it was the manifestation of 
Jehovah's care for the penitent; encouraging him in his 
despondency ; lifting him to higher aspirations and bet- 
ter hopes. Here the soul, burdened with the conscious- 
ness of sin and the desert of punishment, found a way 
of access to the God of matchless purity he had offended. 
There was mediation — life could atone for life. 

The Thank- Offering. 

The thank-offering was called also the peace-offering — 
in the Targum — the sacrifice of holiness, or sanctifica- 
tion ; in the Septuagint, services of health or salvation. 
This was not among the prescribed, or commanded offer- 
ings. It was not ordained for any fixed or stated periods, 
and was understood to be entirely voluntary. They 
were given by way of thanksgiving for favors received, 
or from a spirit of devotion, and gratitude toward God ; 
or in fulfillment of a vow ; or upon having obtained cer- 
tain desired blessings. Sometimes, where the person 
did not desire to make a vow, he laid his offering uncon- 
ditionally upon the altar, trusting for the hoped-for 
blessing. 

One calls them a sort of pacific festival between God 
and man. The meat-offering was the common eucharistic 
or thank-offering, but it might be of the herd or the 
flock. It was sometimes an acknowledgment for gen- 
eral peace, prosperity and happiness ; sometimes a vo- 
tive-offering with prayer for the benefits desired, and 
sometimes offered for the benefit and glory of God. It 
usually followed the offerings of atonement to God, and 
was the rainbow token of peace upon the cloud that was 
passing away. It was supposed and expected to be en- 
tirely spontaneous — the oblation of a willing and a grate- 



SACRIFICES. 113 

ful heart, offered at such times, and on such occasions as 
the feelings of the worshiper prompted. 

The kind of animal brought -was left to the .choice of 
the worshiper ; it might be from the flock or the herd, 
but not of pigeons or doves. 

This peace-offering might be public or private. The 
two lambs offered every year at pentecost were a public 
peace-offering, and was regarded as most holy. 

This peace-offering might be regarded as one of the 
purest and holiest kind. While the sin and trespass- 
offerings were supposed to be brought with the spirit of 
humility and penitence, they might still be regarded as 
partly selfish, inasmuch as they were intended to procure 
pardon and deliverance for sins committed. Not so, 
however, with the peace offering. It was not liable to 
such temptations to selfishness ; it was especially de- 
signed to be a medium of peace, to remove all ill will or 
any unkind feeling or spirit, to produce general peace 
and harmony. 

There were several other special offerings of which we 
have not time to speak ; there was the special sin-offering 
for the priest, for the ruler, and for the whole congrega- 
tion, and for other extraordinary reasons and occasions, 
but we can not speak of them here. 
10 



114 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Altar and Sacrifices. — Continued. 

The shades of evening had again drawn the party to 
their tents, and they were seated round a small fire their 
dragoman had kindled ; for though the heat of the mid- 
day had driven them into the shade of the acacia, the 
nights in this elevated region, at this season of the year, 
are cool, and sometimes frosty. 

Ben Achmed gave a sort of summing up of his descrip- 
tion of the sacrifices. 

" To understand the harmony and significancy of the 
offerings, we must observe particularly the order in which 
they were brought. First came the sin or trespass-of- 
fering, then the whole burnt-offering, then the peace- 
offering. 

" The peace-offering included the ceremony of a sacri- 
ficial meal. The offerer brought his victim to the altar, 
and laid his hand upon the head of his oblation. This 
act was significant, and was no doubt accompanied with 
prayer and thanksgiving. The offering was then slain at 
the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. The 
priest sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about ; 
all the fat was burned upon the altar; a portion was 
given to the priest, the rest was the property of the of- 
ferer, and was usually devoted to a feast of joy with his 
friends, and in this case might be taken away from the 
Tabernacle to be eaten. To these feasts it was customary 
to invite widows, orphans, and the poor. 



THE ALTAR AND SACRIFICES. 115 

" Let me ask you to mark particularly these successive 
steps. If a known and positive sin had been committed ; 
if the man had deceived, defrauded, stolen, taken by 
force, corrupted the innocent, sworn falsely, injured an- 
other in character, person or property ; whatever might 
have been his sin, this must first be taken out of the way. 
He must come with his trespass or sin-offering. He 
could not come with his whole or burnt-offering with the 
guilt of unconfessed sin upon his conscience. If iniquity 
was harbored in his heart, the Lord would not accept him. 
He must bring his sin or trespass-offering first ; must lay 
his hands upon the head of his devoted victim, and con- 
fess : ' I entreat, Jehovah, I have sinned and done per- 
versely ; I have rebelled ; I have committed (here nam- 
ing his sins), but I return in repentance, and let this be 
my atonement,' and then, as far as possible, he must make 
restitution to the injured. When this was done, the 
guilt of known sin was purged away. Now he could 
bring his whole burnt-offering, making a general atone- 
ment, dedicating himself wholly to God. Now the as- 
surance of acceptance and pardon was his ; he could look 
up with boldness and confidence to God, feeling that he 
was reconciled to Him. Now with joy he could bring the 
thank-offering, and with his friends enjoy the banquet. 
Ln the thank-offering this social festivity seems to have 
been the crowning pleasure. Sin had been confessed, 
atonement made, and the peace of acceptance brought to 
the soul. The face of God was turned away from their 
sins, joy and gladness filled the heart, and the grateful 
homage of thanksgiving could go up like incense before 
God." 

••What beautiful and impressive lessons," said Jason, 
" I see in these appointments of the altar — a beauty and 



116 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

harmony I never before understood. First purity, then 
peace, confession, reconciliation, then communion with 
God and fellowship with Him. I can see in every step 
of this arrangement under the law the path by which we 
still come to God through the One Great Atoning Sacri- 
fice. Confession, atonement, pardon, reconciliation, 
peace, holy communion with God and man." 

" How manifest," said I, " the wisdom of the Deity in 
these appointments ! More than 3,000 years have passed 
away since this great altar was here erected, and by the 
blood men sought acceptance with God, and still the altar 
speaks." 

" Its lessons," said Achmed, " are like the pillar of 
cloud — to some darkness, to others light. I am not skilled 
in opening mysteries." 

" We have come into the court," said I, " and stand 
by the altar and laver. What do they say to a son of 
Abraham ? " 

"I fear I shall not speak to please you. You find 
depths of meaning where I have not been able to pene- 
trate. In former times, men supposed that earth, air, fire, 
and water were the four simple elements from which all 
else came. By the union of these the altar did its work, 
and the oblation ascended to heaven. Water cleanses 
defilements ; fire has a double mission — sometimes puri- 
fies, sometimes consumes." 

"But what of the blood?" said I. 

"The history of blood," said Ben Achmed, "is a 
strange history ; from the blood of Abel's lamb at the 
gate of Eden, through all the long ages there has ever 
been, in all the prohibitions and appointments of Jeho- 
vah, a mystery and sanctity attending it, not only wonder- 
ful, but to me incomprehensible." 



THE ALTAR AND SACRIFICES. 117 

" In the erection of a great building," said I, " there are 
many things the under-workmen can not understand ; they 
must work by faith. As the structure progresses they 
come to see a symmetry and beauty where before all was 
confusion. There are many mysteries for which we can 
not account. "We can not account for the introduction 
of sin into the world, neither can we account for God's 
method of taking it out of the world. Do you think 
these expiatory offerings were originally of man's devis- 
ing, or were they of God's appointment ? " 

" That they were of Jehovah's appointment I have no 
doubt. How else could they have been originated ? I 
can not understand how man could ever have conceived 
the idea of appeasing an offended Deity by shedding the 
"blood of an unoffending victim. Such an offering was 
the acknowledgment of guilt — of the desert of death — the 
innocent was offered in the place of the guilty — life for 
life. How could it have been of man ? " 

" You said the history of blood was a strange history — 
look at it. The blood, as an essential element in the great 
w r ork of redemption, seems to have been in the mind of the 
Deity from the very infancy of the world's history — from 
the commencement of his revelations to man — dating back 
as you have said to the very gates of Eden. The first- 
born of men found the blood essential to the efficacy of 
the sacrifice. Abel's offering was accepted, Cain's re- 
jected. "Why? "What was it but the blood? By faith 
Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than 
Cain. "What was Abel's faith? Already the promise of 
a restorer had been given to man; the feet of Abel's 
faith were planted there, and winged by that promise 
pierced the future, and looked and trusted to the coming 
redemption. After the flood, when God renewed His 



118 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

promise with the new world through Noah, permission 
was given to man to make use of every living thing for 
food ; but with this single exception : ' The blood thereof 
which is the life thereof, thou shalt not eat.' Why this 
strange prohibition of blood for food — a prohibition that 
to this day remains upon your statute books unrepealed? 
The prohibition appears to have been purely for religious 
and sacrificial reasons. No other can be assigned ; God 
having some great ulterior lessons to teach the race by 
holding the blood as sacred in His estimation. Follow- 
ing this, through all the long ages of the patriarchs as it 
had been from Abel to Noah, so from Noah to Abraham, 
the blood continued to stain the altars of the faithful, and 
by it men sought acceptance with God. Then came a 
new religious era, when the scattered truths of revelation 
that had fallen here and there in uncertain intervals along 
the pathway of the patriarchs, was to be gathered up, and 
by the ministrations of Moses a complete system of law 
and religion instituted. 

"Here again God commenced by showing the value 
and efficacy of blood ; the paschal lamb was slain ; the 
blood sprinkled upon the posts of their doors. Your 
fathers sat under the protection of the blood while the 
destroying angel went through the land. That night 
they went out of Egypt ; blood had been their security 
and ransom. 

"And now we have followed that redeemed people 
to the seclusion of this desert sanctuary. By blood 
Moses sanctified himself for a solemn interview with 
Jehovah ; by blood the peeple were sanctified and pre- 
pared for the wonderful descent of the Almighty when 
his feet should touch the blazing mount. By the sprink- 
ling of blood the solemn covenant between that ma- 



THE ALTAR AND SACRIFICES. 119 

jestic God and a trembling and adoring people was 
satisfied. 

" The Tabernacle which we have come here to study, 
and which we are about to enter, was erected, and this 
Tabernacle, the Ark, and all its costly symbols were 
consecrated with blood, and only as the High Priest bore 
the blood of the slain victim did he dare to appear in 
the presence of Jehovah behind the sacred veil. So for 
hundreds of years, in Tabernacle and Temple, the blood 
was ever upon the altar, the significant token of atone- 
ment and pardon. Why all this use of sacrificial blood ? 
Was there any thing in blood more precious and costly 
than in a thousand other things, only that it was the life, 
and under that symbol of life Jehovah had hidden deep 
and solemn mysteries of redemption ; the representative of 
a greater and more perfect sacrifice to come. All these 
slain victims ; all this use of blood ; all these sacrificial 
rites were only typical — shadows of better things that 
lay in the future. In all this, God, like a great teacher, 
was educating the world for the comprehension and re- 
ception of greater and more important truths than patri- 
archs, prophets or priests had ever been able to under- 
stand. For four thousand years Jehovah was educating 
the world up to an understanding of the efficacy, the 
significancy of the blood, that they might be prepared to 
understand and appreciate the great atoning sacrifice, 
when His own Son would appear and voluntarily pour 
out His blood a sacrifice for the whole world ! 

a And then, in connection with this, is it not a sig- 
nificant fact that soon after this offering of the Son of 
God the invading Roman army demolished the great 
temple, and overthrew its altars, and from that time these 
bloody rites that were here instituted, that reached from 



120 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Sinai to Zion and Calvary, through 1,500 years, ceased 
to be offered, never again to be renewed ! What did Je- 
hovah mean by this ? Was it not His voice, louder 
than the thunders that once shook this mountain, de- 
claring He had no longer any use for them ? The mission 
of priest, altar, and temple was ended ; they had their 
consummation in the mission of the Promised One." 

" You are enthusiastic," said Ben Achmed, " and I 
doubt not sincere ; but why are you so anxious to press 
these things upon my attention ? " 

" We are going into the sanctuary ; to walk among the 
golden symbols ; to stand even behind the veil, and by 
the sacred Ark of God, and under the mysterious light 
of the Shekinah. In our entrance into the court, and our 
advancement into the mysteries of the heavenly structure, 
I see a beautiful illustration of the progress of the soul 
toward God. When the man steps into the holy court 
he leaves the world behind, and the curtains of the Lord 
inclose him. Then comes the altar of atonement, the 
sprinkled blood, and the sanctifying laver. Starting at 
this altar we must be right here, or we shall be wrong all 
the rest of the way. You said, in explaining the sac- 
rifices, that with this great altar all the ministrations of 
the sanctuary and all acts of acceptable worship were in- 
separably connected. There must first be right views of 
self and of God ; clear comprehensions of the manner 
of acceptance and pardon. Only with the fire from the 
great altar could the priest burn the incense ; only as he 
took the blood of the great altar of atonement could he 
enter behind the veil and stand in the presence of God. 
All that follows in sanctification, in obedience, in spirit- 
ual peace and enjoyment, is closely linked with the im- 
portant work of atonement at the great altar. We must 



THE ALTAR AND SACRIFICES. 121 

understand these things aright or we shall often be in 
doubt and liable to mistakes as we proceed. 

" 1 see in this great altar what perhaps you do not. 
This altar was but a type of something better to come. 
These gifts and sacrifices could not take away sin ; they 
could not make him that did the service perfect as per- 
taining to the conscience. They were shadows of the 
good things that lay in the future, imposed on men until 
the reformation. At last Messiah came, a High Priest 
in things pertaining to God — of good things to come — 
and by a greater, a more perfect Tabernacle, not made 
with hands ; not by the blood of goats and calves, but 
by His own blood He entered into the holy place, having 
obtained redemption for us. For this cause He is the 
Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death 
for the redemption of transgressions that were under the 
First Testament we might have the promise of eternal 
inheritance. It seems to me I stand in the very sun- 
light of God and see so clearly that all this system of 
worship established here was only preliminary to a more 
complete system of revelation with which God would 
bless the world in the promised Messiah, I sometimes 
lose myself in the ardor of my enthusiasm. Pardon me 
if I am too persistent. It seems to me he who lives 
only with Moses knows but the rudiments of the grand 
system of revelation God has prepared for the nations. 
He stands only in the vestibule of the great spiritual 
temple into which God leads his children." 

Ben Achmed was silent ; a suppressed sigh only was 
heard, and his lips moved as in prayer. 

" If any man lack wisdom," said I, " let him ask of God, 
who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not." 
11 



122 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

The Prayer at 'the Altar of the Burnt- Offering. 

Blessed art Thou, Eternal One, King of the Universe, 
Creator of all radiance, exalting and abasing, making dis- 
tinction between unclean and holy. Thou art high above 
all benedictions and hymns of praise. Lord Jehovah, 
God of heavens and the earth, we come to the propiti- 
ation — we stand by Thine holy altar. Thou didst teach 
Thy servant, Moses, the greatness of Thy law ; the se- 
crets of Thy holy worship. Aaron Thou didst anoint to 
lift up his hands to Thy heavens, to minister before Thy 
people, where the smoke of the burning parts ascended 
to God. Here Thine altar burned with the perpetual 
fire kindled from Thy burning throne, and our fathers by 
the blood found acceptance and pardon. 

0, Thou God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, man is 
always erring, but Thou changest not. Where now 
burns the sacred fire ? where flow the cleansing waters ? 
The priests, the ministers of Thine appointment, stripped 
of their holy garments, no longer cOme to the propitiatory 
to sprinkle the atoning blood. What victim shall we 
"bring ? who will be our mediator ? where can we find a 
blood compensation ? Hast Thou shut up the way to 
the holiest of all — to the throne of thy glory ? Where 
now is the promised One who should restore all things, 
break the chains of bondage, and set the oppressed ones 
free ? 0, Eternal Wisdom, blessed is the man whom 
Thou leadest into Thy courts, and teachest Thy testi- 
mony. Lead us to the true altar of atonement, to the 
ever abiding priest, the effectual Blood. 

Thou merciful One, enlarge us speedily from all our 
troubles ; break the yoke of our captivity, and save us 
from the bondage of sin and fear. Make us worthy to 



PRAYER AT THE ALTAR OF THE BURNT-OFFERING. 123 

behold the promised One, and reveal the King in His 
glory. Help us to bring the sacrifice bound with cords 
to the horns of Thy altar, and make these open gates, 
by which we come into Thy sanctuary, the portals of 
.salvation ; so will we ever glorify Thy name. Blessed 
art Thou, Jehovah, King Almighty. Thy throne is 
in the zenith of the universe, and countless orbs listen 
to Thy commands with veneration and obedience ; Thy 
word reaches unto the utmost limit. As Thou hast the 
highest throne in the heavens, take Thou the highest 
throne in our hearts, and rule over us supreme ; so shall 
we stand justified at Thine altars, and abide forever in 
Thy sanctuary. Thy dominion is over all generations — 
praised be Thy holy name ! Amen. 



124 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XL 

The Building of The Tabernacle. 

Prom the court with its altar and laver we now come 
to consider the Tabernacle — its materials and mode of 
construction. It was for the protection of the Taber- 
nacle and an introduction into it the court was made. 
The Tabernacle probably stood twenty cubits from the 
west end of the court, and twenty from each of the two 
sides, north and south. This would give a space of fifty 
cubits from the entrance of the court to the outer wall 
of the Tabernacle. In this space was placed the great 
altar and laver. The structure stood facing the east. 
For this there was a special reason found in the fact that 
some of the idolatrous nations deified the sun, making it 
an object of religious worship. In the morning they 
were accustomed to turn their faces to the east, adoring 
their Deity as he lifted his majestic form above the hori- 
zon. Jehovah would have His people to turn their faces 
from all such idolatry. We have an allusion to this in 
the days of Ezekiel. God brought him into the inner 
courts of the Lord's house, and behold at the door 
of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and 
the altar, were about five and twenty men with their 
backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces 
toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the 
east. And the Lord said, "Hast thou seen this? Is it 
a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the 
abomination which they commit here?" 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 125 

In later times in one of the Jewish festivals, when the 
Levites reached the gate that leads out to the east, they 
turned westward their faces toward the temple, and, re- 
ferring to former idolatry, used the following recitative : 

Our fathers who were in this place 
Turned their backs upon the temple 
And their faces toward the sun. 

Chorus, seven times repeated : 

But we unto the Lord, 

To the Lord we lift up our eyes. 

— Etheridge (Heb. Literature). 

Hoiv the Materials were Obtained. 
The order for the structure having been given, the 
first requisite was the necessary materials. Moses was 
instructed to issue a proclamation : " Speak unto the chil- 
dren of Israel that they make for me an offering " — a 
separation, or consecrated portion. This offering was 
not to be by constraint, but a cheerful, voluntary con- 
tribution. " Of every one that is willing minded shalt 
thou take the separation." Jehovah was King and Ruler, 
they His subjects. They had seen costly and magnificent 
palaces erected to the kings of Egypt, and costly tem- 
ples to their idol gods. Should their Sovereign Ruler — 
the God of the Universe — be less honored ? They had 
been compelled to make unwilling tribute to the abomina- 
tions of their task-masters ; should they not now bring 
generous and willing tribute to the living God, by the 
power of whose arm they had been delivered ? God 
loves the cheerful giver. His house should be built of 
willing material ; His worship be performed with willing 
hearts. 



126 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT, 

" This," said the Lord, " is the separation thou shalt 
make . gold and silver and brass ; blue and purple and 
scarlet — Targum, hyacinth, purple and vermilion or 
crimson ; literally bright colors — fine linen, and hair of 
goats, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, or 
skins of purple ; shittim wood and oil for the illuminators ; 
spices for the anointing oil ; and aromations for the 
sweet incense, and for the compound of the pure anoint- 
ing oil. Onyx stones and gems of perfection for the 
insetting of the ephod and the breast-plate. And they 
shall make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among 
them." 

The materials presented represented all departments 
of nature. The richest from the mineral kingdom ; gold, 
silver, brass, precious stones. The best from the vegeta- 
ble kingdom ; incorruptible wood, cotton, the finest 
linen, oil, spices, and incense. The noblest from the 
animal kingdom ; costly skins, hair cloth, and all com- 
bined with the most costly and beautiful colors. Beauty, 
honor, genius, are all combined to honor God. 

The Jewish Rabbis using the strong parabolic figures 
by which they are accustomed to express themselves, to 
give an idea of this abundance, represent the clouds of 
heaven as going to the river Pison and drawing up from 
thence precious stones for the infilling of the ephod and 
the breast-plate, and dropping them upon the face of the 
wilderness, whence the princes of Israel brought them. 
Then these clouds returned and went to the garden of 
Eden and took up from thence choice aromatics and oil 
of olives for the light, and pure balsam for the anointing 
oil, and the sweet incense. Targum Ex. 35. 

All the various parts of the Tabernacle, as well as the 
sacrifices, incense, and oil, were provided by the people. 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 127 

God seems to have intended the people should be closely 
identified with all the work. Though these things were 
presented to God, all still, in one sense, belonged to the 
people, to be used for their benefit. What we give to 
God we do not lose ; we are often enriched by our own 
benefactions. 

The people set about the work with a promptness and 
liberality that soon filled the treasury of the Lord. It 
was an exhibition of generosity such as we find no- 
where else recorded. Instead of being urged, as is so 
often necessary in benevolent work of the present day, 
Moses was compelled, by another public proclamation, to 
restrain their ardor, and command them to bring no 
more, for there was more than sufficient. The fact that 
such a second proclamation was necessary was both hon- 
orable to the people and reflected glory upon that God 
by whose spirit they had been inspired. 

The chief workmen who had charge of the work are 
worthy special commendation. Unlike too many at the 
present day who make use of their position to enrich 
themselves at the expense of the people, as the votive 
offerings came in in such abundance, instead of conceal- 
ing the fact and secreting the goods, they promptly re- 
ported to Moses that they needed no more. 

Inspired Workmen. 
The people were not only moved to wonderful liberal- 
ity, but chosen men were inspired of God with special 
gifts for the execution of the work. Jehovah was the 
Chief Architect; Moses stood next to Him, and to him 
was the entire plan of the work revealed. But, in the 
multitude of his duties, it would be utterly impossible 
for him to superintend in person the details of the work. 



128 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Jehovah is never at a loss for the proper instruments for 
the accomplishment of His purposes. When artisans 
were needed for this structure in the wilderness, He 
could inspire rtr n from the bondage of Egypt with 

wonderful ski] ' r "ns '''when He needed laborers for the 
spiritual building of which this was but a type, He 
could send forth the obscure fishermen of Galilee en- 
dowed with the power of tongues and miracles. " See," 
saith the Lord, " I have ordained Bezaleel the son of Uri, 
the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah." The Lord in- 
spired him with the spirit of wisdom, and understanding, 
and great devotion to the work to which he was called. 
To Bezaleel was given Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of 
the tribe of Dan, as first assistant. These men were 
largely endowed with mechanical skill and ingenuity, to 
perform all manner of artistic work ; not only with abil- 
ity to do the work themselves, but to teach others to be- 
come their assistants. They had great ingenuity in 
executing curious work in gold and silver and brass ; in 
the cutting of stones and the carving of wood ; also in 
weaving and embroidery in blue and purple, scarlet and 
fine linen. And every wise-hearted man in whom the 
Lord put wisdom came to these master workmen, and 
wrought in the work of the Sanctuary of their God. 

But notwithstanding the spirit of wisdom was so richly 
imparted, there was a limit to the exercise of their own 
discretion, and ingenuity in the work. They must be 
governed by the Lord's plan shown to Moses in the 
mount; still there was an opportunity for the display of 
great taste and skill, in executing the various decorations 
and details of the work where beauty and perfection 
were constantly demanded. So, in the great spiritual 
temple, Christ is Chief Architect, and his specifications 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 129 

must be implicitly followed. Under Him are the numer- 
ous workmen endowed with various spiritual gifts, yet all 
by the same Spirit : whether the offering be in time, in 
worldly wealth, the labor of the 1 • or the genius of 

intellect, all must work in hartf enr *.n subjection to 
Christ the Master Builder. Unity and cheerful volition 
have been, and must continue to be, the soul of the 
house of God. "But all must be built after one pla^ 
of the Divine revelation. See thou work all things after 
one pattern." 

The Tribute of the Women. 

Male and female are alike interested in the house of 
God. In the contribution of materials for the Taberna- 
cle, especially in weaving and embroidery, and for the 
beautiful curtains for the division, and the overspread, 
honorable mention is made of the work of the women. 
" And they came both men and women, as many as were 
willing hearted, and brought bracelets and ear-rings and 
tablets — all jewels of gold. And all the women that 
were wise hearted did spin w T ith their hands, and brought 
that which they had spun, of blue, and of purple, of 
scarlet and of fine linen. And all the women whose 
hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun goat's hair." 

The women had joyfully celebrated the triumph of Is- 
rael at the Red Sea, when Miriam took a timbrel in her 
hands, and all the women went out after her with tim- 
brels and dances. They who had thus sang Israel's tri- 
umph were ready to build a sanctuary to Israel's God. 
When the material was wanted for the great laver of the 
court, the women brought their brazen mirrors, and made 
them a free-will offering for the work. Now some spun 
fine work of blue and purple, others coarse work of goat's 
hair, and yet all is said to be done in wisdom. In build- 



130 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

ing the house of God, the coarser and rougher work is 
necessary, as well as the finer. It is not the fine work 
only that God rewards. The most menial hand em- 
ployed, the meanest service rendered, shall have an hon- 
orable recompense. Mary anointed the head of Jesus, 
and it shall ever be told as a memorial of her — and a 
record has been kept of the women who labored with the 
apostles in the gospel Tabernacle. It is a part of the 
character of a virtuous woman, as described by Solomon, 
that she layeth her hand to the spindle, and here the em- 
ployment was turned to a pious use. The honorable po- 
sition assigned to woman was one evidence of the supe- 
riority of the Hebrew people, and one of the great means 
of their preservation, and subsequent high position 
among the nations. They were not remanded to the se- 
clusion of the harem. They were taught the law of the 
Lord. The purity of the family was preserved, and vir- 
tue made a crown of honor. a Be careful," says the 
Talmud, a how you make women weep, for God counts 
their tears." Christianity, building on the same founda- 
tion, exalts her still more. 

Should the spirit that actuated the women of the wil- 
derness still prevail, how many unnecessary ornaments of 
gold and silver, of rings and jewels and precious stones, 
might be transmuted into embellishments for the great 
spiritual temple ! 

" All the people were actively engaged in the work," 
said Elnathan, interrupting the narrative ; " all bore a 
part As it was in the literal, so should it ever be in 
the spiritual sanctuary of God. Jehovah demands of all 
His redeemed ones an active service. Our piety must 
not degenerate into asceticism, or morbid stoicism, shut- 
ting a person up within himself, or in some secluded re- 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 131 

treat away from the world. ' Go, work in my vineyard.' 
'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel !' ' 

"Do you remember," said another, "how our guide 
led us this morning into the great charnel house — loath- 
some vaults beneath the convent garden — where we saw 
heaps piled on heaps — the skeleton remains of more than 
thirty thousand who renounced, as they called it, the 
world, and fled from the society of men, and in these 
secluded mountain retreats, and in fastings, penances, and 
self-inflicted tortures, died of want and exposure, in 
hopes of atoning for sin, gaining merit and securing the 
favor of God? Their piety consisted in separation from 
the world, in fastings and bodily inflictions ; in crushing 
out the natural affections and appetites. Can such be 
the piety and consecration God demands ? By such de- 
votion the world would never be benefited, the Taber- 
nacle of God never built up. From some forms of 
temptation we may wisely flee ; others must be met and 
conquered. God has given us the Christian armor, and 
we must go boldly down into the battle." 

" He is not the best Christian," said Jason, " or best 
serves humanity, himself, or God, who shrinks away from 
contact with the world, hides himself in the wilderness, 
or in dens and caves of the earth, or in monastic cells. 
He is the true soldier of God who girds on the armor 
and boldly grapples with the enemies of truth and God ; 
who goes into the business of life resisting its tempta- 
tion, dealing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly ; who 
stands amid the glare of its pleasures, the alluring calls 
of its honors, yet maintains his integrity before God and 
man. The promise is not to him who hides himself from 
the world, that shuns its conflicts and labors. ' To him 
that over cometh will I give the crown of life.' ' 



132 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

The Silver Foundation, 

The foundation of the Tabernacle was one of its won- 
derful features. In this habitation of God the abundance 
of the precious metals, and the richness of the workman- 
ship, were all to combine to inspire the people with rev- 
erence for the holy place and its Occupant. As the 
Tabernacle was a movable structure, so the foundation 
must conform to this feature. All parts of it were to be 
so constructed as to be readily taken down and re-erected, 
like their other tents, for it was to accompany the peo- 
ple in all their journeyings. Was ever before known an 
unsettled and migrating people who carried the temple 
of their worship — the high throne of their God — with 
them, ever making it the center of their encampments ? 
For convenience in such removals this silver for the 
foundation was cast in blocks. Each block, or socket, 
was a talent of silver. The talent was about one hun- 
dred pounds weight avoirdupois — the same weight what- 
ever the metal. Writers differ somewhat in their esti- 
mate of this weight, some making it ninety-four pounds 
avoirdupois, some one hundred and twenty-five pounds 
troy-weight ; but one hundred pounds avoirdupois will 
be near enough for all practical purposes in estimating 
the weight and value of the materials of the Tabernacle. 

A cubic foot of silver weighs 654 pounds, and is worth 
§12,450. One hundred pounds, the weight of each 
socket of silver, would make a cube of 264 solid 
inches, or six and thirty-eight one hundredth inches each 
side ; its value, according to the present standard of the 
United States Mint, §1.13 per ounce troy, would be 
$1,648. As the standard value of silver fluctuates, this 
may be somewhat, but not materially, varied. 



THE BUILDING- OF THE TABERNACLE. 133 

The boards, forty-eight in number, were a cubit and 
a half wide and ten cubits long. Each one had two 
tenons upon the lower end, each tenon to fit into a 
mortise in one of the silver blocks. Reckoning the 
cubit at eighteen inches, the lowest estimate any one 
makes — some make it twenty-one — the boards would be 
fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches broad — the 
thickness the Bible does not mention ; Josephus makes 
them four fingers thick, about three and a half inches ; 
others make them nine inches, and some even eighteen. 
We can see no necessity for such heavy timbers ; it 
would add unnecessary burden to the transportation of 
the Tabernacle. Suppose them to have been two inches 
thick, which would have been amply sufficient for the 
strength of the structure ; this would give the end of 
one plank two inches by twenty-seven. For one-half 
of this we have a block of silver 264 cubic inches. 
Make this block in length one-half the width of a board ; 
we have then a block thirteen and a half inches long, 
five broad, four deep. Beveling or rounding the upper 
corners for the sake of symmetry, and taking something 
from the excavation of the socket we might add from one 
to two inches to the breadth of the base, making it six to 
seven inches. 

The boards, of which we have yet to speak, were forty- 
eight in number ; counting ninety-six blocks for these, 
and the four blocks under the pillars of the division be- 
tween the holy and most holy places, we have one hun- 
dred blocks, each of which weighed one hundred pounds, 
in all five tons of silver, the value of which would be not 
less than §165,000, probably the most expensive and 
durable foundation, for the size of the structure, ever 



134 11AM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

laid ; durable, because incorruptible ; costly, from the 
amount of precious metal used. 

The silver for this foundation was raised by a genera] 
tax. A levy of one-half shekel was imposed on every 
taxable person of the nation ; that is, on every able- 
bodied male twenty years old and upward. It seems 
from the first chapter of Numbers that women, all male 
minors under twenty, and all old and infirm men unfit for 
service in the, army, were exempt from this numbering 
and taxation, as were also the Levites. The Levites hav- 
ing been appointed for special service of the sanctuary 
their duties there were constant ; as much needed in war 
as in peace, they were therefore exempt from tribute and 
service in the army. 

The whole amount gathered in this assessment was 
301,775 shekels ; of this 300,000 shekels were taken for 
the foundation ; the 1,175 shekels over what was needed 
for the foundation was used about the pillars of the 
court for the fillets and other ornaments. From this we 
also learn that the available force of Israel at this time 
was 603,550 able-bodied men able to bear arms. 

Notwithstanding the vast amount of silver used, we 
see that, after all, it made only a slender foundation in 
size, in proportion to the heavy boards to be supported. 
It is possible these silver sockets might have been re- 
versed and placed at right angles with the boards, cov- 
ering the boards under the tenons, but not the whole ex- 
tent of the bottom. This would have given a broader 
base in width, but no more square surface of support. 
But the silver was probably designed to cover the entire 
ends of the boards, as a protection from the ground, 
and to make it all secure the whole may have rested on 
a horizontal plank or sleeper of wood. 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 135 

This silver thus raised by assessment was the only tax 
levied in building the sanctuary. All the other ma- 
terials was the voluntary contribution of the people. 
Why was this ? Why should a tax be imposed by Divine 
command for the silver of the foundation and all the rest 
of the supplies, by invitation of the same Lord, be a free- 
will-offering? Henry remarks, that the gold being 
raised by a voluntary contribution, and the silver by a 
tax, shows that public expenses may be defrayed either 
way, provided that nothing be done by partiality. But 
there was a deeper significancy in this tax thus imposed 
by Divine command. This foundation, as we shall see 
as we proceed, is a type of Christ, the foundation of the 
great spiritual temple, the church of the living God, on 
whom all the building rests, and to whom all must come 
for salvation. 

To Christ, the Foundation, all have an equal right ; in 
Him all may claim an equal interest. Christ died for 
all ; He belongs to the whole world. To Him, whosoever 
will may come, and on Him build their hopes. In this 
taxing the poor paid no less ; in his poverty he was not 
excluded or excused ; his half shekel must be paid. The 
rich, however great his abundance, and however eager to 
honor God, was allowed to pay no more, and could claim 
no greater privilege. So the poor man in his destitution, 
toiling for his daily bread, may have just as much of Christ, 
enjoy just as much of His presence and spiritual blessing 
as the rich man in his palace, in the midst of his splendor 
and magnificence. This half shekel was called the ransom 
for their souls. It implied that all had sinned, and all alike 
need a ransom. So God in the rich provisions of His grace 
would provide a ransom for all. It was an enduring founda- 
tion ; pure in its nature, untarnished, incorruptible. If the 



136 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

foundation be destroyed, says Paul, what shall the 
righteous do ? The Lord who laid the foundations of the 
earth hath laid the foundations of His people's hopes, and 
that foundation shall stand forever sure. Whosoever be- 
lieveth in Him shall never be confounded. 

This atonement money, on the part of Israel, was a 
thank-offering for their redemption from the bondage of 
Egypt — all were redeemed by the same price, and all 
alike indebted to God, and all must make equal acknowl- 
edgment. 

This atonement money was to be a memorial unto the 
children of Israel ; it reminded them of their past deliv- 
erance, and was an acknowledgment of their indebted- 
ness to God. Many Jewish writers think it was con- 
tinued as an annual tax. 

It was to be given that there might be " no plague 
among them." Sin brings the judgments of God ; ret- 
ribution lights on those who continue in sin ; atonement 
brings the favor and blessing of heaven. 

In the virtue and efficacy of the atonement money we 
see a type of the work of Christ. Peter, no doubt, had 
this in his mind : " Ye were redeemed not with corrupti- 
ble things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood 
of Christ." No difference in outward circumstances can 
effect the state of the soul ; all have sinned, and all must 
be redeemed by the same price — Christ the atonement — 
Christ forever the same. 

The equality of Christian grace and Christian privilege 
is one of the great lessons here taught. In the Christian 
church one foundation for all times, and all people. 
" Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which 
is Jesus Christ." The religion of Christ breaks down all 
those envious distinctions that pride, ambition, and 



THE BUILDING OF THE TABERNACLE. 137 

worldly wealth and position introduce and foster. It 
places all upon the same common platform, sinners alike 
before God, and, fixed on Christ, the foundation, it 
elevates all alike, crowns all with the same honor, glory, 
and immortality. 
12 



138 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Boards of the Tabernacle. 

Three sides of the Tabernacle, the front being left open, 
were constructed of boards, or thick heavy planks ; 
Josephus calls them pillars. These boards were ten cu- 
bits long and a cubit and a half broad. The thickness is 
not mentioned in the Bible, but Josephus says they were 
four fingers thick ; allowing the finger to be seven-eighths 
of an inch, this would make the thickness about three 
and a half inches. This, or even two inches, would make 
them quite strong enough for the purpose. To make 
them eighteen inches thick, as some do, or even nine, as 
Lightfoot, would be to incumber the transportation with 
an unnecessary weight, besides making them out of pro- 
portion for what must have been the size of the silver 
basis. Some think they were thicker at the base than at 
the top, the outside being beveled. 

These boards were to be of shittim wood — the Hebrew 
term left in our version untranslated, probably from the 
difficulty of determining at this late date precisely the 
kind of wood meant. Roy's Hebrew lexicon gives the 
translation cedar. The Septuagint renders it into Greek 
by a term signifying incorruptible wood. These boards, 
reckoning the cubit at eighteen inches, would be fifteen 
feet long and twenty-seven inches broad. Each board 
was to have two tenons on the lower end to fit into two 
of the silver sockets or bases of the foundation. They 
were to be overlaid with gold on both sides ; not gilt, but 



THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE. 139 

covered with thin plates — Jalm says laminae — of gold. 
They were to be fitted closely together, probably grooved 
into each other that they might stand more firmly. So 
accurately and curiously were they adjusted to each other 
the joints we are told were invisible. 

Incorruptible wood beautified with gold ! May it not 
shadow forth the richness, beauty and eternity of our 
house in the heavens ? 

" These boards," says Dr. Gill, " were to be set up, 
not laid lengthwise, denoting that such as compose the 
house of God are to be upright in manners and conver- 
sation.'' 

Of these boards there were to be twenty on each of the 
two long sides and eight on the rear end ; answering, 
with the two tenons on each side, to the ninety-six sock- 
ets of silver constituting the foundation. The west end 
of the structure was to consist of six entire boards, with 
the addition of two more specially adapted to the two 
corners. Particular directions are given as to the man- 
ner of constructing these corner boards. They were to 
be of the same size as the others ; a part of the width it 
seems would come within the Tabernacle ; a part to be 
taken up by the thickness of the side boards, against the 
edge of which they were to set, and the remaining part 
left to protrude beyond the sides, probably in the form 
of a molding, both for ornament and for the firmer 
support of the structure. Additional rings or clamps 
were formed for holding these corner boards firm in their 
places. 

It is difficult from the ambiguity of the directions 
given to determine just how these corner boards were 
adjusted. There are several different points in the re- 
construction of the Tabernacle it is difficult for us now 



140 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

fully to understand ; the complete plan was revealed to 
Moses, and it was not necessary that all the details should 
be committed to writing. Several different theories were 
given with regard to the arrangement of the corner 
hoards, some of them quite elaborate. As it is not 
necessary for the design of this work to settle these 
disputed points we leave them for the more inquisitive 
to investigate. The boards were probably so arranged 
as to leave the building just ten cubits wide on the 
inside. 

These boards were to be set up one against another, 
with the tenons in their appropriate sockets, forming a 
continuous wall on three sides of the sanctuary, all 
overlaid with rich plates of burnished gold, concealing 
the wood entirely from view, presenting to the eye of 
the spectator the appearance of a massive work of solid 
gold resting upon a costly and magnificent foundation of 
solid silver. 

As we have seen Christ typified in this foundation, so 
by the boards we may understand believers individually 
standing in Him, and supported by Him, collectively 
built up a spiritual building unto God. The Tabernacle 
subsequently fell into decay, and was superseded by the 
more magnificent and durable temple. The New Testa- 
ment writers were more familiar with the temple than 
with the Tabernacle, and they oftener use the temple as 
a type of the church, and draw their illustrations from 
that; but both Tabernacle and temple represent the 
same great spiritual truths. The temple was a type of 
the great spiritual temple of God, and the stones of the 
structure were believers built upon Christ as the only 
imperishable foundation. Paul says to the Corinthians : 
'Ye are the temple of the living God/' as God hath 



THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE. 141 

said, " I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will 
be their God, and they shall be My people." Peter, ad- 
dressing his brethren says, still drawing his figure from 
the temple : " Ye also as lively stones are built up 
a spiritual house . . . acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ.'' So Paul to the Ephesians, addressing Gentile 
converts who had come to the knowledge of the truth : 
"Now ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fel- 
low citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God, and are built upon the Foundation . . . Jesus 
Christ." And then seeming to borrow his illustration 
from this building of the Tabernacle, he continues : " In 
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth into 
an holy temple in the Lord, in whom also ye are builded 
together for a habitation of God through the Spirit !" 
How beautiful and forcible this figure becomes as we see 
how these golden boards were framed into the silver 
foundation, the type of Christ Himself. This union of 
the believer to Christ is one of the precious and comfort- 
ing doctrines of the world. Built on Christ, standing in 
Christ, supported by Christ ! 

Then too, when we come to the spiritual structure, it 
is not one of dead or inanimate material. We lose much 
of the preciousness of the figure when we think only of a 
material structure. Peter, speaking of Christ, says : " To 
whom coming as unto a living stone, chosen of God and 
precious. Ye then as living ones are built up a spiritual 
house.'' Messiah more clearly illustrates this union of 
Him when He says : "lam the vine, ye are the branches." 
As the branch is supported by the vine and draws its 
nourishment from it, so with Christ, and those built on 
Him — a temple of living stones built on Christ the 
living foundation. From Him, the living foundation, 



142 HAM-MLSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

the streams of spiritual vigor flow to all, even the re- 
motest parts of the building — all are nourished and sus- 
tained by Him. 

These boards are sometimes called pillars. In Rev. iii, 
12, Christ is represented as saying : " Him that over- 
cometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God." 
How great the privilege of being made a pillar in the 
great spiritual Temple ! It is something to contribute 
to the literal Temple — to aid in laying stones in the 
rising structure ; it is a greater thing to be built in our- 
selves. 

As the boards stood firm in the silver foundation, so 
should we stand firm in Christ, rooted and grounded in 
the faith. On Christ alone can we securely rest. 

As the boards were closely united — no seams and 
joints visible, so in the spiritual building there should be 
unity and harmony ; no schism should mar its beauty — 
closely compacted by that which every joint supplieth, all 
should grow into a united Temple in the Lord. 

These boards were of incorruptible wood enveloped 
in gold. What a beautiful type of the spiritual children 
of God — the eternal life of the believer enveloped in 
the righteousness of Christ ; their life hid with Christ 
in God ! 

The Bars and Staples. 

To further strengthen the boards, and hold them firmly 
in position upon the silver foundation, massive staples of 
gold were inserted in each board, ten to a board. These 
were so arranged that when the boards were in position, 
they made five uniform rows on each of the three sides 
of the Tabernacle thus inclosed. Long slender bars of 
acacia wood were then made, also overlaid with gold, 
fitted to slide closely into these staples, forming firm 



THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE. 143 

braces for the sides. Of these bars there were five on 
each side according to the five rows of staples. As the 
length of the building was so great as to make these bars 
too long and cumbersome if made the whole length, they 
were made in pieces of five cubits length each, making 
six pieces in each row upon the longer sides of the build- 
ing. To give these pieces the firmness and strength of 
one entire bar, the ends were mortised into each other so 
as to slide the end of one into the end of another, thus 
giving to each compound bar the firmness and strength 
of one entire piece. 

With regard to the middle one of these five bars, there 
is such ambiguity in the direction as to make it as diffi- 
cult to understand as the arrangement of the two corner 
boards, and as great a variety of opinions has been ad- 
vanced in regard to it. "And the middle bar in the 
midst of the boards shall reach from end to end." Ex. 
xxv, 28. Dr. Lightfoot, and in this he follows the He- 
brew doctors, and some others with him, concludes, from 
the expression " in the midst of the boards," that the 
boards were bored through, and this middle bar inserted 
in their interior. But this bar, like the rest, was to be 
overlaid with gold, which would seem to be wholly un- 
necessary if it was thus to be entirely concealed from 
sight, to say nothing of the difficulty of inserting and re- 
moving it from such a position. Some think that while,, 
as Josephus says, the other bars were made in pieces, 
this middle bar was of one entire piece, running through 
the golden staples the whole length of the sanctuary. But 
this seems quite improbable when we consider its great 
length — at least forty-five feet — and the difficulty of man- 
aging so long and slender a bar, either to thrust it 
through the staples or through the boards. This is one 



144 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

of those difficult problems about the structure it seems 
now impossible to solve, and where each one must be left 
to follow his own conjectures. We do not know that any 
important spiritual lesson was connected with it ; if there 
was not, we need not be anxious to know just how it was 
placed. It was no doubt an arrangement essential to the 
strength and solidity of the structure as a whole, which 
the workmen understood and followed. Josephus says 
these bars were placed on the outside of the structure, 
which seems most likely, as they would have marred the 
beauty of the interior. " In the midst of the boards," 
probably means no more than midway between the top 
and the bottom. May it not be that this middle bar ran 
through the corner boards of the end of the Tabernacle 
to aid in holding them in place, while the others only 
came up to them ? 

In addition to the other supports, the boards of the 
w r est end, after being fastened to each other by the 
golden bars, were fastened firmly to the side boards by 
additional and still heavier golden staples, four in num- 
ber ; one at the top and one at the bottom of each 
corner. 

Some idea of the amount of this precious metal used 
in the structure may be inferred from these staples alone. 
Consider the size of a staple necessary to be of any service 
in holding in its place a heavy plank, some three to four 
inches thick, fifteen feet long, and two and a quarter feet 
oroad. There were forty-eight boards, and ten of these 
staples to each board, besides the four extra ones to give 
additional finish and strength to the corners, making in 
all 484 of these massive golden fastenings. Jehovah de- 
signed that beauty, riches, and strength should be com- 
bined in the habitation of His holiness. So it should 



THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE. 145 

ever be in the spiritual building ; riches of grace and 
glory ; beauty of purity and holiness ; strength defying 
all the malice of enemies. 

These fastenings of bars and staples, holding firmly 
the different parts of the structure, are a beautiful em- 
blem of the golden bonds of love, uniting and holding in 
concord all the spiritual children of God — bars of Chris- 
tian fellowship through golden staples of love. 

The Golden Pillars of the Front. 

In front of the Tabernacle was to be placed five pil- 
lars, made of the same kind of wood as the boards, and 
like them overlaid with gold. These pillars were to stand 
on five foundations or sockets of brass, instead of silver, 
as the other parts of the structure. This was the only 
brass used in all the building except the taches or hooks 
that held the goat's hair curtains of the covering. Brass 
was used about the court, but none about the Tabernacle 
with this exception. These pillars Avere also undoubtedly 
surmounted with a richly wrought cornice, also overlaid 
with gold. In the capitals of these pillars were inserted 
golden hooks from which was suspended the outer veil of 
which we have yet to speak. 

Josephus says there were seven pillars in front, but he 
also calls the boards of the sides pillars. Thus he may 
have included the corner boards in his enumeration. 
These pillars would probably be ten to twelve inches in 
diameter at the base. One was probably placed against 
the outer wall, and the other three so as to equally divide 
the space. If so, these three spaces would measure 
about three and a half feet each. 
13 



146 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

The Golden Pillars of the Division. 

The boards of the sides, and the pillars of the front 
set in their places, the structure was now to be divided 
into two parts — the sanctum and the sanctum sanctorum, 
or the holy and the most holy places. The proportions 
of this division the Bible does not mention, but Josephus 
says two-thirds were set apart for the. holy place, and 
one-third for the most holy. As this was the proportion 
in which the temple was subsequently divided, it is prob- 
ably correct. This division made the inner sanctuary 
of equal dimensions every way — the height, length and 
breadth equal. 

Four pillars of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, were 
set up on four sockets of silver, to make the division be- 
tween the two apartments. The silver foundations were 
to be of the same weight as the silver blocks of the sides 
of the Tabernacle ; each was to consist of a talent of sil- 
ver. Over these pillars, as over the pillars of the front, 
was a rich golden cornice, corresponding in costliness 
and beauty to the magnificence of the whole interior de- 
sign. 

On these pillars, suspended from golden hooks, hung 
the curiously wrought piece of tapestry that formed the 
veil — the screen that concealed the most holy place and 
its sacred deposits. 

Such was the frame-work of the Tabernacle as it stood 
ready for the interior decorations and the tent-like cov- 
ering. It had the characteristics of both a house and a 
tent. In its frame-work it was like a house ; in its cov- 
erings like a tent. To the curtains and the covering we 
will now direct our attention. 



THE COVERING OF THE TABERNACLE. 147 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Covering of the Tabernacle. 

The silver foundation laid, the pillars set in their 
places, an appropriate covering for the Tabernacle was 
the next essential thing: The first or inner canopy was 
to consist of curtains of fine-twined linen of the most 
carefully prepared thread of flax, each thread consisting 
of two or more threads twisted together. Jewish writers 
say the curtains were woven of threads six times doubled. 
They were to be ornamented with pictures of cherubim 
of cunning work of blue and purple and scarlet. " Of 
cunning work shalt thou make them." — Ex. xxv, 1. A 
distinction is made between cunning work and needle- 
work. One is said to be the work of the weaver, show- 
ing the work on both sides ; the other the work of the 
embroiderer, showing the work on one side only. The 
word cunning in our translation is equivalent to the En- 
glish word skillful. 

Of these curiously wrought inner curtains ten were at 
first to be made, each twenty-eight cubits long and four 
broad. Five of these narrow curtains were then to be 
sewed together into one large curtain, and the other five 
into another, making two large curtains, each forty-two 
feet long and thirty broad. These two compound cur- 
tains were then to be coupled together. Fifty loops of 
blue tape or ribbon were fastened to the edge of one, 
and fifty loops of blue to the corresponding edge of the 



148 

other. These loops exactly answered to each other when 
the edges of the two were brought together. 

These loops were then made to pass through each other 
and were secured by taches or clasps of gold. Thus the 
two became one curtain by a golden bond, closely united, 
firm and strong, yet easily separated when it became 
necessary to remove them. Thus the whole " made one 
Tabernacle." — Ex. xxvi, 6. Some see in this union of the 
different parts into one curtain an emblem of the unison 
of the saints into one body, fitly joined together in holy 
love by the unity of the Spirit, symbolized by the golden 



These curtains formed the upper ceiling of the sanctuary, 
and there has been much speculation as to the manner in 
which they were arranged. The Bible does not solve the 
question. This united curtain was forty cubits by twenty- 
eight, if nothing was taken up by the seams in joining 
them. Spread over the Tabernacle it would hang down 
upon each side nine cubits, covering the boards to within 
one cubit of the silver foundation. Then, if the front of 
the curtain was placed even with the front of the Taber- 
nacle, the first five curtains would reach back twenty 
cubits, or just to the division between the holy and most 
holy places, leaving half of one of the great divisions to 
hang down in the rear, in which case it would reach to 
the silver foundation, entirely concealing the golden 
boards from view. But it is not probable it was so ar- 
ranged. 

Particular direction is given as to the manner in which 
the goat's hair canvas lying above this was to be ar- 
ranged, but no direction is given for the arrangement of 
this beautiful tapestry of the interior. We can hardly 
suppose such u costly and elaborate fabric would be used 



THE COVERING OF THE TABERNACLE. 149 

to cover the exterior of the building, as it was not in- 
tended as a defense from the weather, and would nearly 
conceal the golden-plated acacia boards from view. It 
was probably spread over the top of the structure and 
the surplus looped in graceful folds in the interior, form- 
ing a magnificent and graceful upper ceiling, correspond- 
ing in richness and beauty to the splendor of the golden 
sides and golden furniture. 

These rich curtains forming the magnificent canopy 
of the interior are hence called by way of eminence, 
*' The Tabernacle — the dwelling-place of Israel's King." 
Thus God is said to " dwell within curtains." 

This royal tapestry, made of the finest linen, dyed 
with the richest colors, was curiously embellished with 
figures of cherubim ; and many suppose figures of 
cherubim also adorned the golden sides. Thus cherubim 
were overhead, and cherubim were round about. What 
these represented we are yet more fully to inquire. But 
we may here pause to say that some understand them to 
represent attendant angels. If so, we may not only 
learn that angels joined in the worship of the God of Is- 
rael, but the angels attend continually upon Him in His 
holy habitation as His ministers, to do His pleasure. — 
Ps. ciii, 21. They are in constant waiting to minister to 
those who shall be heirs of salvation. — Heb. i, 4. And 
when the triumphant Church of God at last surrounds 
the throne, within the real Holy of Holies, the everlast- 
ing dwelling-place of Jehovah, the voice of many angels 
will be mingled with the ten thousand times ten thou- 
sand and thousands of thousands that surround the 
throne, ascribing blessing, honor, glory and power to 
Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb 
forever. 



150 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

These internal adornments of the sanctuary may be 
made a beautiful illustration of the graces of the spirit 
inwrought in the heart of the believer, as also the inter- 
nal beauty and intrinsic value and glory of the Church 
of God. 

These curtains, united by golden clasps, all made " One 
Tabernacle," type of the unity of all believers in the 
Great Spiritual Temple — all one in Jesus Christ. 

" If these curtains represent the Church of Christ, or 
different divisions of the church united in one, then, as 
the holy place a type of earthly things, and the Holy of 
Holies a type of heaven, the whole curtain united over 
the division, may be a resemblance of the union of the 
church militant and the church triumphant — the one on 
earth and the one in heaven." 

The Second, or Goafs Hair Covey ing. 

The beautiful curtains we have now described were not 
designed as a protection from the weather, but needed 
themselves to be protected. God will make provision 
for the preservation and security of all parts of His 
Holy habitation. Moses was ordered to make curtains 
of goat's hair " for a tent above the Tabernacle." — Ex. 
xxvi, 7. The fine linen curtains were more for ornament. 
These were for protection. 

In designating the material the Hebrew has only izzim y 
which signifies goats, or the animal ; but all interpreters 
understand it, by a common ellipsis, to mean their hair. 
Jarchi says it signifies the flower of goat's hair, or as we 
speak of birds the down or very softest part of it ; and 
no other wool as they call it was accepted for the use of 
the sanctuary but this. For the wool of sheep and 
lambs he says was vile in comparison with this which was 



THE COVERING OF THE TABERNACLE. 151 

precious in the eastern countries, where excellent cloth 
is made of it not inferior to silk in softness and bright- 
ness. We know that the goats of the east still furnish a 
long soft hair, which is manufactured into some of our 
most beautiful and costly fabrics. 

These goat's hair curtains, like the fine linen ones, 
were to be made in parts ; of those there were ten, of 
these there were to be eleven- They were to be thirty 
cubits long, two cubits longer than the linen ones, and 
four cubits broad. Five of these were then to be sewed 
together into one large curtain, and six into another. 
Fifty loops were to be attached to each of these large 
curtains as were attached to the linen ones. No direc- 
tion is given as to the color of these loops. The two 
large curtains were then to be fastened together by 
taches or hooks of brass, instead of gold — the only place, 
as we have before observed, where brass was used in all 
the structure except the foundation for the pillars of the 
front. The material being coarser and less valuable, the 
fastenings might be also. 

The addition of this eleventh curtain gave this sec- 
ond covering four cubits more in length than the first 
one. Particular directions are given as to the manner in 
which this surplus length was to be adjusted. A portion 
of it was brought to the front or east end of the sanctu- 
ary, and appears to have been folded together as a kind 
of ornament or festooned gracefully, covering the cornice 
and caps of the golden pillars and the upper fastenings 
of the outer veil. The remaining surplus portion was 
thrown farther over the west end, dropping down over 
golden boards, covering and protecting the ornamental 
work. Ex. xxvij 12. This arrangement of the second 
covering brought the coupling of the two large portions 



152 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

two cubits farther back than the couplings of the fine 
curtain beneath it, thus, as a mechanic would say, 
breaking joints, and making the covering more complete 
and secure. 

So one says, we know not why such special care was 
taken in the union of these parts of the typical building 
to fit them thus beautifully, closely and firmly, unless we 
are to learn from it that all that relates to the spiritual 
building, whatever different parts are brought together,. 
are to be united as one in Christ Jesus. As the boards 
of the Tabernacle were so nicely fitted to each other 
that the seams and joints were invisible; as the fine linen 
curtains, closely and richly fastened by golden clasps r 
and loops of blue, made one Tabernacle ; as the goat's 
hair curtains above one tent, so unity of feeling, purpose 
and interest should characterize all the people of God — 
one Lord, one faith, one baptism ; one God and Father 
of all, who is above all, and in all, and through all. For 
this reason, evangelists, pastors and teachers should 
never relax their efforts for the perfecting of the saints r 
till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowl- 
edge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

The Covering above the Tent. 
As the tent, or goat's hair covering, would not be a 
sufficient protection from the weather, two other cover- 
ings of greater strength and security were to be made 
above it. The first was to be made of sheep-skins, dyed 
red. The male of the sheep is designated. Some have 
supposed that the color here applies to the animal, and 
not to the integuments ; so Adam Clark would translate 



THE COVERING OF THE TABERNACLE. 153 

literally, " skins of red rams," and attempt to show that 
they had sheep of a red color. But such an interpreta- 
tion is not reasonably maintained. Some, again, have 
supposed these skins were dressed with the wool on. 
But this would have made them more cumbersome with- 
out adding to their utility. It was not warmth that was 
needed, but protection from the weather. This covering 
was most probably made of sheep-skins dressed, and dyed 
red in the preparation. 

A fourth covering, placed still above this, was to be 
made of what our version calls " badger's skins," but for 
any information conveyed in the word, the original might 
as well have been transferred. By the Hebrew tachash 
several different kinds of animals have been designated 
by different biblical scholars, both from the land and the 
sea. Many interpreters think that no animal in particu- 
lar was meant; that the direction refers not to the kind 
of animal, but to the color — that Moses was to make a 
stout, secure covering of skins of a purple hue. The 
Targum of Onkelos, reads : "A covering of purple skin 
above." Patrick says all the ancient interpreters take 
tachash for a color, and not for a badger or any other 
animal. 

How these coverings above the tent were arranged we 
are not informed. They could not have been thrown 
loosely over the top without some support, to prevent 
their sagging in the center, and a sloping roof would 
have been necessary to throw off the rain. It is reason- 
able to suppose this covering was constructed in the form 
of a tent, with probably a ridge-pole extending the 
whole length of the structure. In this case the cover- 
ing would extend beyond the sides, the bottom portion. 



154 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

secured by cords and pins driven into the ground as in 
an ordinary tent.* 

Thus the Tabernacle was finished above with four en- 
tire coverings. These different parts, in some allusion 
to the structure, are distinguished one from another. 
The frame with its embroidered curtains is sometimes 
called, by way of eminence, the Tabernacle ; the goat's 
hair spread above this in the tent; the double roof of 
skins above the covering. These are all separately 
named in Ex. lx, 19. But the whole structure is gener- 
ally alluded to under the general name of Tabernacle. 

One of the Targums renders the direction to Moses : 
" Make the Tabernacle, its tent, and its covering ;" 
meaning the building, the goat's hair tent spread over it, 
and the coarser covering of sheep and badger skins that 
made the roof or the protection over the whole. The 
same Targum further says : " For he made a covering for 
the Tabernacle of rams' skins reddened, and of purple 
skins, to protect it above." 

The Epistle to the Hebrews calls the holy place the 
first Tabernacle, and the holiest emphatically the Taber- 
nacle. Again, in the same chapter, he calls the whole 
structure the first Tabernacle, in distinction from the 
second, or spiritual Tabernacle, which the first typified. 

" We have stood," said I, " in the court and talked of 
the altar and laver, the ablutions and the offerings. The 
completed structure now stands before us. To-morrow 
we will draw aside the outer veil and stand within the 
holy place and muse among the sacred symbols that stand 
ever before the Lord — the ever present bread ; the light 

*For a view of the Tabernacle constructed on this plan the 
reader is referred to a cut and description in Smith's Bible 
Dictionary. 



jason's evening prayer. 155 

of the golden candelabrum ; and the golden altar from 
which the perfume of the sweet incense ascended daily 
unto God." 

"Among these symbols," said Ben Achmed, " we must 
pass to reach the radiance of Jehovah's presence upon 
the wings of the cherubim above the mercy-seat. Who 
is prepared thus to approach the burning throne ?" 

"Jehovah," said I, "will open unto us the glory and 
the mystery of His marvelous revelations." 

Jason's Evening Prayer. 

God of Israel, Thou art our God, our Protector. 
The way to Thy beneficent throne is open to all the sons 
of want. We seek the blessing of Him who dwelleth in 
the highest heavens, yet whose ministering hand is in the 
lowest vales of earth. Though in temples made with 
hands we come to seek Thee, the humble and contrite 
heart is an abode of Thy delight. 

Eternal Father, source of light and life ; unseen, yet 
always present ; how pleasant to us have been the lessons 
of Thy sanctuary ! We have drawn nearer unto Thee 
and felt the comfort of Thy presence in the richer revela- 
tion of Divine things. And now we go to stand within 
the curtains of Thy holy Tabernacle which Thou didst 
rear by this mountain side. How wonderful are Thy 
dwellings, Lord of Hosts ! Blessed is the place where 
Thou didst open the portals of glory ; where the heavens 
and the earth met each other, and the glory of Thy She- 
kinah was kindled. From this place of Thy revelations 
teach us ; teach us as Thou didst teach Israel when they 
were encamped beneath this mount that trembled at Thy 
presence ; where Thou didst make the solitary places 
rejoice and the desert blossom as the rose. Make our 



156 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

sojourn in this barren place an exceeding great and 
precious joy. 

Cover us this night with the shadow of Thy wings. 
Spare us for the anticipations of the coming day, and, 
as we walk amid the splendors of Thine earthly Taber- 
nacle, bring spiritual illumination. As the light of the 
seven golden lamps filled all Thy house, so may the 
divine radiance fill all our souls. Remove our doubts, 
and show us Him in whom is the true light, for whose 
manifestation Israel was redeemed and planted in Thine 
holy hill. Lead us not only into Thy earthly courts, but 
bring us at last into the more glorious habitation of the 
heavens, to rejoice forever with the great multitude of 
the redeemed. To Thee ascend the hallelujahs of all 
Thy children ! Amen. 

The prayer ended, Ben Achmed sang : 

How pleasant, Lord, Thy habitation, 
Our hearts have yearned so long to see, 

Lord of Lords — of all creation — 
This house devoted unto Thee. 

With gladness here we seek Thy face, 

Thou ever living God of grace. 

"Let there be light," a second time 

The Lord of Hosts proclaimed; 
Let idols fall, and truth sublime 

In glory be maintained. 
Where burned the altar's cleansing fires, 
El-Shaddai taught our honored sires. 

Israel's God hath brought the light 

Of truth divine to all the lands; 
Jeshurun's God redeems from night, 

To Him we come with outstretched hands; 
Behold the mountain wrapped in flames, 
El-El ion's wondrous grace proclaimed. 



jason's evening prayer. 157 

Salvation's sun from Sinai rose, 

To guide the doubting mind 
To holy deeds and calm repose, 

Redemption full to find. 
E-he-ye hears, loud anthems raise, 
Let all the earth resound His praise. 



158 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Colors of the Tabernacle. 

We have seen how the boards, pillars - , and heavy silver 
foundation of the Tabernacle combined for durability and 
strength, but with strength beauty must be united. All 
the precious things of earth must be laid under contribu- 
tion for the glory of the house ; strength and beauty 
must be in His sanctuary. The forms of the sanctuary 
must be as perfect as the inspired art of Bezaleel could 
make them ; but mere form without color would fail of ac- 
complishing all the design of the structure. The colors 
were essential in its beauty ; they were to the Tabernacle 
what painting and frescoe are to modern architecture. 
The mission of beauty is twofold ; it imparts pleasure to 
the senses, but has also a refining and elevating power. 
Art is said to be perfect when it combines both these in 
the highest degree. Beauty, then, combining as it does 
the noblest truths, is that symbol of the divine mind 
which most tends to the enjoyment and education of men. 
It is spiritual food given for the soul's sustenance here, 
drawing him gently onward through the bonds of love to 
the study of the Infinite. Beauty is one of the divine 
legacies still left us amid the deformities of sin — a gift of 
heaven's love ; it is the mission of beauty to lift the af- 
fections upward toward God. " Strip this earth of her 
glorious robes of colors, we need not disturb her forms, 
and what a barren world would be presented to our 
view." " So," another says, " the great harmonies of 



THE COLORS OF THE TABERNACLE. 159^ 

nature are worked out in colors." Color is to the eve 
what music is to the ear. 

Thus we can see reasons why the Tabernacle should be 
made a place of beauty. The prismatic hues of the rain- 
bow, the gorgeous tints of the heavens, the exquisite 
colors of the flowers, must all combine to honor the 
dwelling place of Jehovah. Art finds her highest mission 
when pressed into the service of religion, and forms have 
greatest power when robed in beauty. The Tabernacle 
was a great prism to collect and reflect the gorgeous 
hues that beautify the works of God. 

Queen Matilda, wife of the Norman Conqueror, was 
famous for her elaborate tapestries used for adorning the 
walls of churches and palaces ; little thinking, perhaps, 
how such fabrics were originally used to adorn the 
habitation of God. Solomon, instead of tapestries, 
adorned the wall of the temple with the same figures of 
the Tabernacle carved in wood. 

The colors selected for adorning the Tabernacle were 
of the most brilliant and costly kind ; selected for their 
rarity and beauty. These were blue, purple and scarlet 
(Targum, hyacinth, purple and crimson ; Douay, violet, 
purple and scarlet, twice dyed), literally bright colors; 
these were to be blended with the purest white, which was 
the groundwork of the curtains, veils, and robes, and set 
in contrast with burnished gold. The colors are simply 
mentioned without any reference to the material to which, 
they were to be applied. 

Blue was probably the vegetable product still known 
as indigo, so named for its being imported from India, 
universally known as one of the most beautiful varieties 
of this color, though some represent it as the product 
of a shell-fish. It was a deep dark blue — cerulean, 



160 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

or sky co ] or — Mainionides says "the color of the firma- 
ment." Those who have looked into the dark blue 
depths of an eastern sky will better understand this, as 
they compare it with the lighter ethereal blue of our 
western sky. 

In the curtains of the sanctuary and the vestments of 
the priests, the blue seems to have predominated. The 
beautiful curtains that formed the upper ceiling of the 
sanctuary, besides having blue woven into their texture, 
were united with loops of blue. The robe of the ephod 
was all of blue. The plate of gold, engraven " Holiness 
to the Lord," worn upon the high priest's forehead, was 
bound to the miter by a lace of blue. When the Taber- 
nacle w T as prepared for transportation, the sacred furni- 
ture, tables, candlestick, golden altar and ark, were each 
covered with a tapestry of blue ; blue in many cases 
seems to have been a favorite and distinguishing color. 
The zizith, or garments of fringe used on special devo- 
tional occasions were ornamented with a ribbon of blue. 
It was also in ancient times, with the purple, an insignia 
of royalty. 

Purple was obtained from a species of shell-fish, found 
along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, called by 
the Latins purpura or murex — purple fish. It was 
highly esteemed, and very costly, as it is said only one 
drop of the liquid could be obtained from each shell. 
Purple is a compound of the blue and the red, and of 
course varies in hue according to the proportion used. 
It is said the knowledge of the Tyrian purple was long 
since lost, but later arts have replaced it with other dyes 
equal in richness and beauty. 

Purple was the color of royalty ; the symbol of dignity 
and princely position. It early became a synonym for 



THE COLORS OE THE TABERNACLE. 161 

luxury and royalty. In the days of the Roman suprem- 
acy, " to assume the purple " was equivalent to ascend- 
ing the throne. It is still a color highly esteemed, and 
artists tell us it serves most beautifully as a groundwork, 
to show off various colors. 

The scarlet, or red, being of various hues, it is a ques- 
tion as to the precise tint used in the ordering of the 
Tabernacle. Crimson, vermilion, and scarlet being used 
in different translations. It is of a gay, bright dazzling 
color of a fiery appearance. The finest tint of red, art- 
ists tell us, is a central one between crimson and scarlet. 
The Hebrew signifies " worm color," because it is the 
product of a worm, or insect, that lives upon the hermes, 
an eastern variety of the oak, from which the color is 
produced; the same term being applied both to the 
insect and the color. In connection with the name, the 
Hebrew uses the word " Shani" which means double or 
repeated, implying that the material used was twice dip- 
ped or double-dyed. So Wickliffe translates " worme 
reede twyce dyed." The hermes as a color has long 
since been superseded by the American cochineal, or car- 
mine, also the product of an insect. This color inter- 
woven with the blue and the purple must have greatly en- 
hanced their effect. All these colors are still found in 
great perfection upon the interior of old Egyptian tombs, 
temples and palaces, where they have retained their brill- 
iancy for thousands of years. 

The effect of these colors is vividly described by 
Ezekiel, when he speaks of the Assyrian captains and 
rulers clothed most gorgeously — literally wearing robes 
of beauty and perfection. — xxiii, 12. In later times these 
royal colors were perverted, as good things often are, and 
14 



162 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WuNDEKFUL TEXT. 

debased in idolatrous worship. Thus the Lord describes 
the idols by which His people were led astray : " Silver 
spread upon the plates is brought from Tarshish, and 
gold from Uphaz ; . . blue and purple is their cloth- 
ing." — Jer. x, 9. 

When it said the people " brought these colors," it is 
to be understood not of the dyes, but of the material dyed 
with them ; the same word being used to designate the 
dye and the fabric. The material thus brought appears 
to have been spun and dyed by the women ; the weaving 
and embroidery appear to have been left to Aholiab and 
his assistants. 

The materials for the work were very definitely stated. 
But one species of wood was used — the shittim ; the oil 
was from the olive tree ; gold, silver, and brass, some 
say copper, were the only metals used ; two textile fab- 
brics, one from vegetable and one from the animal king- 
dom, with the colors specified, taken from the sea and the 
land. 

On the use of linen Scott says on Ex. xxxv, 26, as 
the blue, and purple, and scarlet has been distinguished 
from the fine linen, it has been generally thought that 
wool died of these colors was meant. But wool is not 
often mentioned, either in the directions given to Moses, 
or in the execution of them, as the goat's hair and badger's 
skins are. All the sacerdotal vestments had fine linen in 
their texture, and the law forbade the people to wear linen 
and woolen mingled together in the same garment. In 
Ezekiel's vision (xliv, 17) the priests are expressly for- 
bidden to wear wool in their ministrations. 

These three colors are generally spoken of as consti- 
tuting the rich hues of the sacred structure. But one 
other, the white, must not be forgotten. These beautiful 



THE COLORS OF THE TABERNACLE. 163 

dyes were worked upon a ground of pure white linen, 
giving additional expression to their beauty. To these 
four colors must still be added the fifth — the yellow. 
Gold was used in great profusion; with it all the 
wood was entirely covered. The gold we may consider 
as used, not only for the richness of the material, but 
for the beauty of the color, which was essential to the 
harmony of the whole. As the concrete form of red ap- 
pears in blood, so the concrete form of yellow appears in 
gold. 

Gay tints like gay sounds animate, but in the use of 
colors they must be so mingled as to produce harmony. 
This is an important study, and one of the great arts of 
the painter and decorator ; so one says if we go beyond 
one color then three primaries are required ; two will 
not satisfy it. There must be a red, yellow, and blue, 
either separate, or one separate, or the other two com- 
bined as a compound of red and blue — purple — this 
makes harmony. This law seems to have been under- 
stood by these workmen. 

Blue, artists tell us, is more fitted to stand alone than 
any other color. This quality gives it great value, as it 
shows richly by itself; thus the robe of the high priest's 
ephod was all of blue. But yellow is essential to com- 
plement red and purple, to give them full effect. These 
laws of color seem to have been understood then as well as 
now, and all these colors are so artistically arranged 
and combined as to give them greater effect in the adorn- 
ments of the sanctuary. 

The condensation of the prismatic colors in the rain- 
bow stamp it with the highest beauty. Arched upon the 
clouds of heaven, God has set it not only as a thing of 
beauty, but as a token of covenant faithfulness. 



164 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

Symbolism of the Colors. 

The question is often raised as to what extent these 
colors of the Tabernacle had a symbolic meaning. What 
they signified to Israel, or how much they understood by 
them, it is difficult for us now to know. In the opinion of 
Josephus the purple signifies the sea, because it was the 
product of a shell-fish from its waters. The blue signi- 
fied the sky, and the scarlet, he says, will naturally sig- 
nify fire. Thus he traces three out of the four elements 
from which the ancients understood all things were made. 
In the ephod, which had the addition of gold, he finds 
a type of the splendor with which all things are en- 
lightened. But these are mere random fancies that 
would apply to these articles in any other place as well 
as here. In the Tabernacle they undoubtedly had a 
deeper significance. 

Some things have a natural and intelligent symbolism 
which all men can readily understand. Some symbols 
are merely conventional and not easily understood until 
explained. We may learn something from the use made 
of these colors among other people and in later times. 
White, as a natural symbol of purity and innocence, of joy 
and triumph, is easily understood, and as such has been 
used in ancient as well as modern times. It is pre-emi- 
nently the color of purity, innocence, and righteousness. 

The high priest on the great day of atonement, after 
having first washed and purified himself, went into the holy 
of holies with the blood of the atonement, arrayed in a 
linen robe of spotless white, the insignia of heavenly 
purity. The Jews continued to make a white robe the 
symbol of purity and joy. The Sanhedrim gave a 
white robe to the accepted candidate for high priest. 



THE COLORS OF THE TABERNACLE. 165 

This symbolism was continued under the Christian dis- 
pensation. When Christ, on the mount of transfigura- 
tion, met Moses and Elijah as an embassy from heaven, 
He was transfigured before them, and His raiment be- 
came white and glistening — white as snow — so as no 
fuller on earth can white them. — Mark, ix, 3. Subse- 
quently the early artisans, in pictorial representations 
of the resurrection and ascension of the Savior, paint 
Him in robes of white as symbolic of purity and tri- 
umph. To one of the seven churches John was directed 
to say : " Thou hast a few names even in Sarclis that 
have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with 
me in white." — Rev. iii, 4. And so, again, representing 
the whole company of the redeemed as the church, the 
Bride of the Lamb : " To her was granted that she 
should be arrayed in white ; for the linen is the righteous- 
ness of the saints." 

In ancient Christian art others of these colors were 
given a definite signification. The Savior was usually 
painted in a red tunic and a blue mantle, expressive of 
heavenly love, truth and faithfulness. The Apostle John 
was robed in the same colors, but the tunic was blue and 
the mantle red. These colors were intended as symbols 
of special traits of character ; blue of a heavenly dispo- 
sition combined with fidelity — red, the fervor of divine 
love. 

The use of the blue was common, and allusions to it 
are frequent. It was associated in the minds of the Is- 
raelites with the idea of heaven, and the supremacy of 
Jehovah. The wide spread blue of the sea, of which they 
knew no boundary — the overspreading blue of the heav- 
ens, suggesting the boundlessness of His dominions and 
the stability of His throne. This sapphire blue was the 



166 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

covenant color where Jehovah revealed Himself as their 
God. When Moses and Aaron with the seventy elders 
of Israel ascended the mountain, invited to an interview 
with God, they saw the God of Israel ; and there was 
under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire 
stone, as it were the body of heaven in clearness. — Ex. 
xxiv, 10. The sapphire was a gem of a beautiful blue, 
and this sapphire was but the footstool — while over and 
around Him was the azure blue of the boundless heav- 
ens. So, in subsequent times, there was opened to Eze- 
kiel a vision of things in the heavens — and again the 
sapphire represents the heavenly glory. Here it is not, 
as in Exodus, a throne of transcendent blue under his 
feet, but a throne of sapphire on which Jehovah sits in 
exaltation. The blue robe of the high priest was an ap- 
propriate ground for the display of the gorgeous colors 
of the ephod and the resplendent gems of the breast- 
plate, as the blue sky shows the ever varying hues of 
sunshine and cloud, symbol of the radiance and glory of 
heaven. 

The purple is used in much the same way ; for these 
two colors in their hues stand intimately connected, and 
in many things their symbolism may be considered the 
same. From remote antiquity it has been the symbol of 
exaltation and royalty, and was an appropriate color to 
adorn the palace of their king. 

The red was not only a rich and costly color connected 
with royalty, but the blood red, or crimson, as the color 
in the Tabernacle seems evidently to have been, might 
be used as a striking symbol of a sacrificial death — of 
the blood, without which there was no approach to God — 
no remission of sin — the blood which the high priest 
sprinkled in the Holy of Holies. As the Savior took 



THE COLORS OF THE TABERNACLE. 167 

the blood of grapes, symbol of the blood of atonement, 
and presenting the cup to His disciples said: " This is 
my blood shed for the remission of sins." The blood 
was the life, and thus symbolically the life was laid upon 
the altar. 

But while the symbolism of particular colors may be 
in doubt, as a whole we may be sure of the existence of 
one general design. Israel had no King but Jehovah. 
The Tabernacle was erected for His dwelling place. It 
was the palace of their Sovereign, where He would en- 
throne Himself in glory. As such, aside from its es- 
pecial religious use, two other objects were sought in its 
erection — one related especially to man, the other to 
God. Toward man, the design was to impress the people 
with the grandeur and glory of their Imperial King — to 
inspire reverence, homage, adoration. Toward God, it 
was, on the part of man, a noble purpose to honor their 
Kino:. King of Kings and Lord of Lords, none should 
be more highly honored, or receive greater tribute than 
He. His palace and throne should be the richest and 
most stately they could erect. The beauty and costli- 
ness of the materials would be a reason why they should 
be selected, aside from any typical lessons they might 
separately suggest. The gold and silver and costly 
fabrics were not only the offerings of their devotion, but 
they became to them, in their united whole, a symbol of 
the transcendent glory of their peerless King. The 
gold, silver and precious stones, as a type of luxury 
and abundance ; the imperial colors of the embroidered 
curtains suggested continually the idea of royal majesty, 
authority and abundance, and may become to us a type 
of the glory and magnificence of the final dwelling place 
in the heavens. 



168 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

These beautiful colors entered into all the adornments 
of the Tabernacle. They were worked into the great 
veil at the entrance of the court, into the hanging at the 
entrance of the holy place, into the veil of division that 
concealed the cherubim and ark, and into the curtains 
that festooned the walls of the interior — these, comple- 
mented by the yellow of the burnished gold, must have 
presented a spectacle of rare and impressive beauty. 

As an additional reason for these prismatic adorn- 
ments and gorgeous hues, we might also refer to their 
refining and elevating influence. God has set the stamp 
of beauty on all His works, and color is one of its essen- 
tial elements. He has garnished the heavens, given fas- 
cinating brilliancy to the flowers, and gay plumage to the 
birds : these do all speak of Him, and stir the purer sen- 
timents and loftier emotions of the soul. 

" Beauty was lent to nature as a type 
Of heaven's unspeakable and holy joy." 

His earthly sanctuary, like His great creation, should 
be a revelation of Himself. These colors were lamps of 
heaven — whose radiance spoke of pure and guiltless 
things, of transcendent glory yet to be revealed. 

" Some souls lose all things but the love of beauty, 
And by that love they are redeemable." 



THE OUTER VEIL — TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 169 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Outer Veil — Table of Show-Bread. 

The company passed through the court, by the great 
altar and brazen laver, and stood at the outer entrance 
of the Tabernacle. "And thou shalt make a hanging for 
the tent of blue and purple and scarlet and fine-twined 
linen, with needle-work." — Ex. xxvi, 36. This was ma- 
sak, the hanging — the outer veil — distinguished from 
pa-ro-keth, the veil or inner separation before the Holy 
of Holies. 

It was an elaborate piece of tapestry, fifteen feet 
square, of fine linen beautifully wrought with needle- 
work. In the veils or hangings of the Tabernacle we 
find two kinds of work mentioned — needle-work and 
cunning work — the one had to be the work of the em- 
broiderer and the other of the weaver. Some say this 
veil was the same texture and work as the inner one, but 
in this outer veil or hanging no mention is made of cher- 
ubim. This is probably why Josephus says there were 
wrought into it all kinds of figures and flowers, except 
figures of animals, cherubim being of animal forms. 

This hanging was suspended by golden rings or hooks 
from the capitals of the five columns of gold-plated acacia 
wood. This was all the defense the Tabernacle had from 
any one disposed to enter ; but it needed no great se- 
curity, for the Levites were continually encamped about 
it ; besides, as one has said, a curtain shall be, if God is 
15 



170 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

so pleased to make it, as strong a defense as bolts of 
brass or bars of iron. 

Over this beautiful hanging Josephus tells us there 
was another veil of stout linen to protect it from the 
weather, and which on festive days was drawn back that 
the people might have a prospect of the beauty of the 
other. 

" Here," said Jason, "Jehovah dwelt behind curtains ; 
but though a movable tent, it was a type of a Father's 
house eternal in the heavens. Easily the curtain may be 
drawn aside ; freely we may enter and walk among the 
golden symbols and study the wonderful revelations." 

" The external covering," said one, " conceals the real 
glory and excellency. Look at this Tabernacle from 
without, and what does one see ? Only a long, low, dark 
tent with its coarse covering of skins ; nothing attractive 
to the eye ; nothing to indicate the glory concealed within. 
So Christ and His church often appear to the worldly 
man — no beauty and comeliness to make them desirable. 
But when we are taught of the Spirit, and the eyes of 
the understanding are enlightened when we come to stand 
within the temple, all becomes luminous with the glory 
of heaven." 

The company drew aside the veil and entered the holy 
place. They found themselves in a beautiful room thirty 
feet long, fifteen broad, and fifteen high. The walls rich 
with burnished gold and figures of cherubim, were orna- 
mented with all the skill of the inspired workmen, while the 
blue, purple, and scarlet of the richly wrought curtains 
formed a gorgeous upper ceiling, draped in graceful fes- 
toons along the golden pillars. On the south side, a 
short distance from the entrance, stood the golden can- 
delabrum with its sevenfold light, shedding its soft 



THE OUTER VEIL — TABLE OF SHOAV-BREAD. 171 

radiance through all the place. Just opposite, on the 
north side, stood 

The Table of Show-Bread. 

A description of this is found in the twenty-fifth chap- 
ter of Exodus. It was made of the same incorruptible 
wood as the other parts of the Tabernacle and furniture 
It was two cubits in length, one in breadth, and one and 
a half high. The wood was all concealed by a plating 
of burnished gold. The gold made it the more precious, 
being indicative of firmness and durability, adding sta- 
bility and glory to the wood. 

This table was to be surmounted by a crown of gold, a 
sort of molding or ornament about the top, both for 
beauty and utility. The crown was put upon but 
four things connected with the sanctuary — upon this 
table, the golden altar, the ark of the covenant, and the 
head of Aaron, the high priest. A table, one Jewish 
writer says, is significant of riches and greatness. This 
was the table of the King of Kings, and must be em- 
bellished with the marks of royalty. 

In addition to the crown, Moses was directed to make 
a border of a hand breadth round about the table, and a 
golden crown to the border. It is not easy to determine 
just how this, border and additional crown was arranged, 
whether the dimensions of the table or its height, or 
both, were increased by it. We conclude there was first 
a golden crown put upon the top of the table proper to 
hold in place the loaves placed upon it, then there was a 
ledge or shelf, a hand breadth — three to four inches — 
enlarging the dimensions of the table, and this ledge was 
surmounted by another crown of gold. This attachment 



172 ham-mishkan; the wonderful text. 

might form a support for the golden vessels that accom- 
panied the table. 

As the table was to go with the people in their migra- 
grations, golden rings were affixed to the four corners 
above the four feet over against the border, through 
which to pass golden-covered rods of acacia wood, by 
which it could be borne upon the shoulders of the Levites. 
These rods were taken out when the table was standing 
in the holy place, that they might not embarrass the 
priests in their ministrations. 

Wickliffe's translation is quaint and curious, showing 
the changes that style and language have undergone since 
his time : "And thou schalt make a boord of the trees of 
sechym, hauinge twei cubits in lengthe and a cubit in 
broodnesse. And thou schalt ouergilde the boord with 
purest gold, and thou schalt make to it a goldun brynke 
foure fynggries high ; and thou schalt make redi four 
golen coerclis, and thou schalt put thoo in foure corners 
of the same boord bi alle the feet." 

Furniture of the Table. 
Dishes, spoons, covers, and bowls, all of refined gold, 
were to be made for the service of this table. The ex- 
act form and use to which these were applied it is diffi- 
cult to determine, nor is it essential. The word trans- 
lated dishes occurs again only in Num. vii ; in recount- 
ing the offerings of the princes on the completion of 
the Tabernacle. There it is translated chargers. They 
are silver vessels filled with fine flour for a meat-offering. 
Some think these dishes or chargers for the table were 
a kind of plate used for holding the bread when the 
priests removed it, and perhaps to lay the bread upon 
when placed upon the table. 



THE OUTER VEIL — TALLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 173 

Spoons were also among the offerings of the princes. 
Those on that occasion were made of ten shekels of 
gold, and filled with incense. One says they were small 
hollow vessels of gold, holding, as the Hebrew name in- 
dicates, about a handful. As incense was used in con- 
nection with the show-bread, we may conclude the spoons 
were connected with that part of the service. Some 
translations instead of spoons read censers. 

There seems to be a still greater diversity of opinion 
as to the bowls and covers : " To cover withal " is trans- 
lated in the margin, " To pour out withal," which has 
led to the idea they were connected with the libation or 
drink-offering, and this the Septuagint plainly indicates; 
but others see no occasion for drink-offerings in con- 
nection with the show-bread table. Some covering for 
the bread would seem to be necessary, while some Jew- 
ish writers make these last named articles 'props and 
supports for the bread, to hold the two piles or rows in 
place, and to separate between the loaves, to prevent 
their coming in contact and becoming moldy. 

In Exodus, xxx, 9, the priests are forbidden to pour 
out any drink-offering on the golden altar. From which 
it seems it was customary to pour the drink-offering at 
the brazen altar. But this was when the individual 
Israelite made his offering, then he brought his drink- 
offering with the burnt-offering and the meat-offering, 
and all was offered at the brazen altar. But when all 
Israel offered in a corporate capacity, or the offering 
was by the whole congregation, as in the daily morning 
and evening sacrifices, the drink-offering was poured out 
in the holy place. — Num. xxviii, 7. The cups used in 
this offering might have been kept on this table. 

This table is called the " pure table," because it was 



174 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

overlaid with pure gold ; was kept clean and bright, and 
was consecrated to a pure and holy use. Purity becomes 
all that relates to the house of God. As the vessels of 
the Lord are pure, so they should be pure that bear 
them or minister among them. So, too, when we come 
among the emblems of worship, and amid the holy asso- 
ciations of God's house, it should be with purity, pre- 
pared to worship in spirit and in truth. 

The Sacred Bread. 

"And thou shalt set upon the table show-bread before 
me always." — Ex. xxv, 30. This bread was to consist 
of twelve loaves each. Some arrange the six side by 
side, each one laid flat upon the tables ; other put six 
piles, one upon the other, which was probably the real 
arrangement. 

This bread was to be made of " fine flour," or flour from 
the finest of the wheat. In the bread, as in all things 
about the Tabernacle, the best was to be consecrated to 
God. Each cake was to contain two-tenths deals of 
flour, or two omers, a little over five quarts. An omer 
was a quantity each person was to gather of the manna 
for a day's supply ; thus one of these loaves contained 
double this quantity, or sufficient to supply one man 
two days. 

Some ask the size of these loaves. Dr. Gill quotes 
from an ancient Rabbi, who says : " The loaves were 
ten-hands-breadth long, five broad, and ten its horns ; 
that is, its height." This is evidently absurd, as it would 
make a loaf thirty-five or forty inches across, and one 
such loaf would more than cover the surface of the 
whole table. The table within its first border was thirty- 
six by eighteen. Divide this into twelve squares, and you 



THE OUTER VEIL TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 175 

Lave six inches by eight for each one ; thus twelve loaves 
six by eight inches, leaving no space between them, would 
cover the entire surface of the table. If into a loaf of that 
size across you put five quarts of flour, its height would 
have been out of all reasonable proportion, not likely 
to have been made. You can have on the surface of 
the table two squares of eighteen inches each ; and if 
the loaves had been large enough one each to fill one 
of these square, even then the thickness must have been 
such as to make a row or pile high enough to need sup- 
ports when the table was carried. 

These loaves are called show-bread; literally, face 
bread, or bread of faces, or the presence bread — bread 
always before the Lord — called in Num. iv, 7, the con- 
tinual bread, because always standing in the sanctuary, 
as if continually before God. Though the bread was 
changed, as we shall see, from week to week, still it was 
considered as the same bread ever before the Lord. The 
table was to be always spread, not with dainty luxuries, but 
with substantial food ; in God's house there is always 
bread. As the seven lamps were always shining, so the 
bread was always visible. Some see in this a type of 
Christ the living bread — the bread of God before the 
people. 

Upon each row or pile of bread was set a golden cup, 
containing a quantity of pure frankincense. "And thou 
shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may 
be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering ever made 
by fire unto the Lord." — Lev. xxiv, 7. 

In the meat-offering of meal mingled with oil (Lev. ii, 
1) the priest took a handful of the flour and the oil, 
with all the frankincense, and burned it upon the altar. 
The part thus burned is said to be a memorial of the 



176 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

whole : "An offering made by fire unto the Lord." A 
part was taken as a substitute or representative of the 
whole. The larger portion of the meal and the oil was 
given to the priest, yet the whole was considered as a 
burnt-offering. So it was also in the meat-offering of 
first fruits. — Lev. ii, 16. "And in the bread of the 
table, a small part," the memorial only was burned, and 
from this, though the bread was given to the priests, the 
whole was considered as an offering made by fire unto 
the Lord. — Lev. xxiv, 9. 

A distinction is to be made between frankincense and 
incense. The incense was compounded from four fra- 
grant gums ; frankincense was a pure white gum of itself, 
and one of the four ingredients of the pure sweet in- 
cense. 

On the burning of the frankincense, Bush very prop- 
erly remarks : "As incense is a symbol of prayer, there may 
have been an intimation in this appointment that our 
spiritual food is to be received and sanctified with prayer. 
Indeed, when a good man sits down to his table, and in- 
vokes the Divine blessing upon his daily food, we seem 
to see the realized substance of the vessels of incense 
upon the Levitical loaves." 

The Bread Renewed Weekly. 
This bread was renewed every Sabbath morning. The 
old loaves, which had stood during the week, were re- 
moved, and fresh ones put in their places. Dr. Gill gives 
the following account of the order observed by the 
priests in this weekly exchange; this, of course, was 
in later times, probably, in the temple service : " Four 
priests went into the sanctuary, two bearing in their 
hands the new bread, and two the frankincense to be 



THE UUTER VEIL — TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 177 

placed upon it. Four of their priests went before to 
take away the old bread and the frankincense. They 
that carried in the bread stood on the north side, and 
they that carried out stood on the south side, and at the 
same time that the hands of one were taking away the 
old bread, the hands of the others were putting on the 
new ; so that there was ' bread before the Lord continu- 
ally." ' When the camp moved, and the table was borne 
by the Levites, the bread remained upon it. 

The materials of this bread, like the oil for the golden 
lamps, was a voluntary contribution. The people were 
made to feel that, in all these provisions and arrange- 
ments of the sanctuary, they had a personal and indi- 
vidual interest. By its light they must be guided — by 
its food sustained. Voluntarily they must impart — vol- 
untarily receive. They imparted their earthly and tem- 
poral things, they received in return the spiritual and 
eternal. It was bread " taken from the children of Is- 
rael by an everlasting covenant." — Lev. xxiv, 8. It was 
in accordance with the covenant they entered into with 
Jehovah, in which they were to be His people, and He 
was to be their God. 

The Bread Eaten by the Priests. 
This bread when removed was not to be wasted or ap- 
plied to any common use. It was given to the priests, 
and by them only was it to be eaten. They were not al- 
lowed to take it to their homes, or share it with their 
families, as they did many other portions of the offerings. 
This bread, being " most holy unto the Lord," was to 
be kept within the sanctuary, and eaten onl} T by those 
who ministered at the altar. It was holy unto the Lord, 
and its sanctity and dignity were preserved by keeping 



178 

it within the sanctuary, and making it the food of con- 
secrated ones. 

A singular violation of this law is recorded in the 
twenty-first chapter of 1st Samuel, in the case of David 
when he fled from Saul. Pressed for food he came to 
Ahimelech, the priest in charge of the sanctuary, who, 
having no common bread, allowed him and the young 
men with him to satisfy their hunger with the show- 
bread. The Savior quotes this to justify His disciples 
against the accusation of the Pharisees that they had vi- 
olated the Sabbath in plucking and eating the ears of corn 
on that day. " The Lord will have mercy, and not sac- 
rifice." " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man 
for the Sabbath." The argument is, that the man is of 
more consequence than these ceremonial laws ; and when 
the welfare or life of the man demanded it, even the 
majesty of the law must yield to his necessities. 

When the Tabernacle was to be removed, specified 
directions are given for the ordering of the table. — Num. 
vii, 4. It was first to be covered with a cloth of blue ; 
upon this the two rows of bread, with the dishes, spoons, 
bowls and frankincense were to be placed. Over these 
was spread a covering of a scarlet cloth, and the whole 
was protected by a covering of badger's skins ; it was 
then borne by the staves upon the shoulders of the Le- 
vites. 

Solomon made ten tables of show-bread for the temple,, 
and among them this one of the Tabernacle no doubt 
continued to occupy an honorable place. In later times 
King Hezekiah, after a period of great religious declen- 
sion, restored the worship of God, cleansed the temple, 
and the altar, the table of show-bread and its vessels. 
So, after having served the sanctuary through all the 



THE OUTER VEIL TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 170 

long continuance of the Tabernacle, and then of the more 
magnificent temple, and all connected with it, when the 
Jews were led captive to Babylon, thousands of the 
smaller vessels, and basins of gold and silver, were taken 
to Babylon, and subsequently returned by Cyrus, but no 
mention is made of the table. 

When the temple was rebuilt, seventy years after, its 
place was supplied by a substitute, and provision was 
made by Nehemiah for the show-bread. Some 250 years 
B. c, Ptolemy Philadelphus, as related by Josephus, 
greatly favored the Jews, and made costly presents for 
the service of God in the temple — among them a mag- 
nificent golden table for the show-bread. It was of the 
same size and general pattern as the one made for the 
Tabernacle, but much more costly, and of more elaborate 
workmanship. It was wrought with wreathen work of 
golden vines, inlaid with precious stones and gems, in 
various colors, and so worked as to resemble in color and 
form real fruits. — Antiq. xii, 2-9. 

But even this precious and costly piece of workman- 
ship could not escape the ruthless vandalism of the ene- 
mies of God. We learn from the book of Macabees that 
Antiochus Epiphanes, in his conquest of Jerusalem, about 
75 b. c, profanely entered the holy place, took away the 
golden altar and the candlestick of light, and the table of 
show-bread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and 
the little mortars of gold, broke them in pieces, and took 
them, with the other treasures of the temple, to his own 
country. 

But God's altars must not lie desolate and forsaken. 
Under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus the invaders 
were expelled, the temple cleansed, and the altar re- 
built. They made new holy vessels, and brought in again 



180 flAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

the golden altar, and the candlestick, and the table of 
show-bread, and set the loaves upon the table. But at 
last the great temple fulfilled its mission, and again the 
ruin came, and now on the triumphal arch of Titus 
at Rome is sculptured in bas-relief a table of show- 
bread brought by that conqueror among his trophies 
from the final conquest of Jerusalem, as if God with that 
and the great candlestick carved by its side, upon the 
same arch, would preserve some memorial of the golden 
emblems of His sanctuary. 

The Lessons of the Table. 

" The table with its twelve loaves are before us ; what," 
said I, " are its lessons to a reflecting Israelite ? " 

" Exactly what was intended," said Ben Achmed, " it 
seems difficult for us to know. Philo and Josephus both 
think the twelve loaves stood for the twelve months of 
the year ; but they must have had a deeper significance 
than that. Maimonides, one of our most able expounders 
of the laws of Moses, frankly confesses his ignorance 
here, and says : 'As to what regards the table, and the 
bread to be placed upon it, I am hitherto ignorant both 
of the reasons of them and the objects to which they 
refer.' One lesson I think is plain ; it taught the peo- 
ple the providential care of Jehovah. When in their 
murmurings they were ready to say, ' can God furnish 
a table in the wilderness ? ' here was a table continually 
spread to remind them of God's bounty. Every morn- 
ing the manna lay upon the ground about them, and 
every man gathered his omer, but should the manna fail 
here stood the twelve loaves, answering to the twelve 
tribes of the nation, each of which contained a double 
omer, as if Jehovah was constantly saying, ' should the 



THE OUTER VEIL TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 181 

manna fail, I can send a double supply to all these tribes 
of Jacob.' They were in a barren wilderness, surrounded 
"by hostile nations, but by this table they were taught to 
say. as one of their subsequent monarchs said, ' thou 
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 
enemies." But it may have lessons to you to which my. 
people are blinded." 

" We have frequent occasion,"' said I, " to notice that 
the Tabernacle, with all its furniture and appointments as 
a whole, is a type of the real spiritual temple of God. 
Here are symbols not merely of earthly, but of divine 
and spiritual things. It is a book of Jehovah's lessons 
in the great things of man's spiritual being, his relations 
to his Maker and eternity. As we advance here in 
knowledge, we get deeper views of Jehovah's relations. 
"We come to see beauty and significance where before all 
was mystery. As much as the devout Israelite could 
learn from these things, and no doubt he could learn 
many important lessons, with the New Testament in our 
hands, we step within the holy place, and stand beside 
the table with its burden of perpetual bread, and, lo ! 
Messiah, the bread of life — the perpetual bread — the 
"bread of God given for a perishing world, rises upon our 
wondering vision ! Here was bread made from the finest 
of flour, emblematic of the purity and excellency of the 
Son of God ; bread voluntarily contributed ; freely He 
gave Himself for us ; continual bread, He ever liveth, 
and ever giveth. As He was seen in the manna, so is 
He seen in the table — the bread of God given for the life 
of the world. ' He that eateth this bread shall live for- 



" Some think," said Jason, " because the loaves were 
ealled le-hem pa-nim, bread or faces or face bread, they 



182 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

represented persons, and so make them symbols of the 
redeemed children of God ; the candlestick representing 
them as shining, the bread there looking upon the face 
of God, and God looking upon them." 

" Such an interpretation,'' said Elnathan, " is certainly 
a very abstruse and unnatural one. The bread is evi- 
dently so called, not because it svmbolized human beings, 
but because it was bread to be looked upon — show-bread. 
There is nothing in the bread or its name to suggest 
in any way persons of any class or character. It was 
not redeemed ones intended to be symbolized, but the 
abundant provision made for them. It was not an ab- 
struse parable concealing some mysterious lesson, but a 
significant symbol addressed to the eye." 

The materials which composed the bread were the 
same as the bloodless or vegetable-offerings of the court. 
This bread was placed there, not only to be seen, but to 
be eaten — symbolizing the provision made for those who 
came into the house of God — the bread of life given for 
His children. 

" This whole arrangement," said another, " was calcu- 
lated both to exalt God and show His care for His peo- 
ple, and the honor of the people for their Sovereign. 
Their government was to be a theocracy ; they were to 
have no king but God. They saw how the sovereigns of 
earth had their splendid palaces, with entrance courts 
and costly portals — their lights ; their abundant supplies, 
and well-spread tables ; their fragrant odors ; their 
rooms of sanctity and seclusion ; their thrones, attend- 
ants, and messengers — all expressive of courtly grandeur, 
all promotive of respect and reverence. Jehovah was 
Israel's mighty King, and He would show His sub- 
jects that He was not a whit behind any of earth, but 



THE OUTER VEIL TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 183 

rather, in the grandeur of His state and the abundance 
and glory of His surroundings, excelled them all." 

" The Tabernacle," continued Elnathan, " was not only 
God's palace, but it was a type of His great spiritual 
temple, in which was erected the invisible throne of His 
glory, into which His children might come, and where they 
have rights, privileges and blessings — a Father's house — 
and what Avould a house be without a table ? And what 
does a table, especially a spread table, signify ? What 
but bread for the hungry — continued bread, an unfailing 
supply ! The lesson is clear and expressive. As the 
Rabbi has said, here was a cake for every tribe, denoting 
the fullness of the supply. This Sovereign King makes 
no stinted provision for His household ; ' they shall be 
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of His house.' Ps. 
xxxvi. Every name borne upon the breast of the high 
priest was remembered, and ample provision made. 
Such it seems to me are the great lessons of the table — 
a home for God's people, and an abundant supply for their 
spiritual wants, and Christ the Bread of Life, the growing 
excellence of that abundance ; the Bread of which a man 
may eat and live forever." 

" In this view of it," said another, " we see something 
of the use of the cups for the libation, or drink-offering ; 
the wine added to the significancy of the bread. Corn 
and wine expressed among the Hebrews the fullness of 
temporal wealth and blessing. Here the corn, the wine, 
and the oil are made symbols of the spiritual blessings 
that shall attend the spiritual Israel of God. The Lord 
hath made unto all nations a feast. In view of it the 
invitation has gone forth : " Wherefore do you spend 
your money for that which is not bread, and your labor 
for that which satisfieth not : hearken diligentlv unto Me, 



184 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

and eat ye that which is good, and let jour soul delight 
itself in fatness." 

"A table," said the Rabbi, who seemed much interested 
in the conversation, " is a place of fellowship and friendly 
intercourse. It implies a common interest and common 
objects of pursuit and affection. The head and all the mem- 
bers of the family enjoy a common communion and common 
blessings. When will the nations become kindred, and 
gather at one table in the great sanctuary of Jehovah ? " 

" The feast of Messiah," said I, " will be for all na- 
tions — not alone for Abraham's seed, but for those born, 
not of flesh, or of blood, or of the will of man, but born 
from above. The boundaries of the temple shall be en- 
larged, the separating walls broken down, and the re- 
deemed of all nations flow into it, becoming kindred by 
higher and holier ties than any mere earthly relationships 
can ever beget." 

" I recollect," said another, " reading a lesson drawn 
from this for those who preach the gospel. As the bread 
was renewed every Sabbath morning, so the Christian 
minister should provide new bread every Sabbath day, 
gathered from his fresh studies in the word of God. 
Like the priest of old, he must put the prepared loaves 
upon the table, and bring no other food than that which 
God has appointed. He must not, dare not, change it. 
The burden of his proclamation must be the power of 
Him who was sent of the Father. If Christ, the Spirit 
and the Life, the true and living bread be wanting, the 
everlasting covenant is broken, the perpetual statute is 
annulled." 

" Yes," said Elnathan, " and the Anointed One has 
still a table in His kingdom. It was a sorrowful night 
when with a few chosen disciples He sat down to the pas- 



THE OUTER VEIL TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 185 

chal feast, and, breaking the bread upon the table, lie said, 
* This is My body broken for you/ Blessed are they that 
eat at His table, who can still find bread in the kingdom 
of God.*' 

"This," said Jason, '• was continual bread. It never 
became stale and worthless, but was perpetually renewed. 
So the living bread, of which this was the type, is always 
new. In the spiritual Tabernacle the table is always 
spread. How rich and free the bounty laid upon it ! Let 
us rejoice that there is still a gospel table of show-bread 
in the kingdom of our God ! A table spread with the 
bountiful provisions of Heaven, where all may come and 
eat. Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom 
of God!" 

" One thing more,*' said I, " we must not forget that 
this bread was eaten only by the priests, and in the sanc- 
tuary. Messiah, as the bread of the spiritual sanctuary 
is eaten, can be eaten, only by the priests, and who are 
these? Not the ministers of the gospel only, as many 
erroneously suppose, nor yet has the priesthood been 
abolished. Every believer in Jesus, every true spiritu- 
ally minded one, however humble his abilities, however 
lowly and secluded his station, is a real, anointed, conse- 
crated priest of God 

" Peter says, in speaking of believers — those who had 
accepted the Messiah as their atonement — l Ye are a, 
chosen generation, a holy priesthood, to offer up spirit- 
ual sacrifices acceptable to God/ 1 Pet. ii, 5. And so 
the apostle John on Patmos saw in his vision the great 
company of the redeemed, and they sang a new song, 
saying of the Lamb : * Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed 
us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred and peo- 
1(3 



186 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

pie and nation, and hast made unto God kings and 
priests/ Rev. v, 9. Thus every believer in Christ ; 
every true worshiper in the great spiritual sanctuary, 
combines in his own person the kingly and the priestly 
honors — is entitled to all the privileges of the house of 
God ; to trim the golden lamps, to make them shine ; to 
burn the incense on the golden altar; to feed upon the 
provisions of the golden table ; to offer up spiritual sac- 
rifices acceptable unto God. It is this that makes the 
prayers of the spiritual efficient with God ; they are em- 
powered to intercede before Him. Thus has Jehovah 
fulfilled to spiritual Israel what He promised to literal 
Israel, ' I will make you a nation of priests.' How ex- 
alted the honors ! How high the dignity ! How inesti- 
mable the privileges ! " 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 187 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Golden Candlestick. 

From the table of show-bread the company turned to 
the golden candlestick standing directly opposite, upon 
the south side of the Tabernacle. No provision was 
made for the admission of light to the sanctuary from 
without — no openings in the curtains, the boards, or the 
covering above. From the world without it borrowed 
nothing ; its light was all from within. So with the 
church of God ; the darkness of the world is around it, 
but within all is radiant with the light of heaven. 

"And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold ; of 
beaten work shall the candlestick be made ; his shafts,, 
and his branches, his bowls, and his knops, and his 
flowers shall be the same." Ex. xxv, 31. Targum of 
Onkelos : "Of pure ductile gold shalt thou make the 
candelabrum ; its base and its shaft, its cups, apples and 
lilies, of the same shall they be." 

Some think it improperly called candlestick ; candles 
not then being used. Lamp-stand would be a more appro- 
priate name, as it was to bear up the seven golden 
lamps. 

This massive illuminator, with its wealth of ornament, 
its snuffers, trays, and other embellishments, was to con- 
sist of a talent of pure, unalloyed gold, about one 
hundred pounds avoirdupois of our weight, the value of 
which would be, in our coin, about §57,000 (fifty-seven. 



188 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

thousand dollars), probably the most costly piece of 
furniture of the kind ever constructed. 

This candlestick was the most elaborate of all the 
furniture of the holy place. It had one main central 
shaft, sometimes called by way of pre-eminence The can- 
delstick, standing upon a heavy base of gold. From op- 
posite sides of this main shaft there sprang out six 
branches, three upon one side, and three upon the other, 
curving upward to a common height with the main shaft 
that supported them. 

"And in the candlestick," meaning the central shaft, 
" shall be four bowls — bowl, literally calyx — made like 
unto almonds with their knops." Ex. xxv, 34. Tar- 
gum : " Shall be four cups, figurated with apples and 
lilies." Three of these bowls or cups were made directly 
under where the branches were attached, and the fourth 
under the lamp at the top. The six branches were also 
constructed with three bowls each of the same shape. 
These bowls were probably intended to catch and retain 
any oil that might drop from the lamps, or any dirt or 
soot that might fall in burning or trimming. 

These bowls were to be shaped like almonds, and un- 
der each one was to be an ornament consisting of a knop 
and a flower — golden knobs. We may not be able to form 
any very accurate idea of these golden ornaments of 
fruits and flowers, but they were no doubt formed with 
an artistic beauty corresponding with the richness of the 
material and the magnificence of its surroundings. 

Some think the central shaft was the highest, and that 
the arms rose to different heights, making an oval top. 
But this is not in accordance with the general opinion or 
the ideas of the Jewish rabbis. The branches were 
probably bent round in the form of a quarter circle, the 



THE GOLDEX CANDLESTICK. 189 

tops ending in one plane, the lamps set into the flowers 
or cups upon the top. 

Some think that certain numbers were intended to be 
symbolized in the design of the candlestick. Three was 
the ruling number of the branches, four of the stem, and 
seven of the whole. On the central shaft there were four 
of each kind of ornaments, and counting for each branch 
the one from which it sprang there were four to each of 
them. Josephus seems to carry out this order of num- 
bers, and says all the ornaments were seventy ; ten times 
seven. However this may be in regard to the smaller 
numbers, there is no doubt but the seven branches and 
the seven lamps they supported were chosen for the sig- 
nificance of the number. This number, besides its def- 
inite signification as a numeral, is used in the sacred 
scriptures to denote perfection. The choice of seven de- 
noted the perfection of the light here instituted ; em- 
blematic of the true and perfect light that emanates from 
God, and typical of the true light that was afterward to 
shine forth so resplendently in Jesus Christ. 

Some think the candlestick was made in pieces so as to 
be put together and taken apart for convenience in trans- 
portation. There is nothing in the ordering to indicate 
that such was the case. In its removal (Num. iv, 9), it, 
with all its utensils, were to be covered with a blue cloth ; 
this was to be put into an envelope of badger's skins, 
and borne upon a bar. Nothing is said of taking it to 
pieces. 

" The knops and the branches shall be the same ; all of 
it one beaten work of pure gold." Ex. xxv, 36. On 
which Dr. Gill remarks : " Not made in parts, and soldered 
together, but the whole candlestick in all its parts and 
branches were to be beaten out of one piece of gold." 



190 HAM-MLSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

But this would be a difficult, if not an impossible work. 
The word rendered beaten, we are told, means that which 
is solid or made hard and close by pressure or beating. 
The word seems to apply not so much to the manner of 
the work as to the material used — the mass from which it 
was made must be pure, solid, ductile gold. The branches 
might be made separately, and then so fastened together 
as really to become one. Thus the mercy-seat and 
cherubim became one ; so the curtains coupled together 
hy the loops became one Tabernacle. 

Nor does the order necessarily imply that the several 
parts should be solid. They might, to increase the size and 
majestic appearance of this stately piece of furniture, be 
made hollow. They had skilled artisans who knew how 
such work could best be performed. When Aaron made 
the idolatrous calf, he first cast it in a mold, and then 
shaped it with a graving tool. Ex. xxxii, 4. It is rea- 
sonable to conclude this elaborate piece of work was 
made in a similar manner. In this many eminent bibli- 
cal scholars agree. Thus, when finished, it was massive, 
beautiful, pure — it was solid gold — no base metal gilded 
— no inferior workmanship — no mere pretended ex- 
cellence ; so it is said it should be with all those who as- 
sume to be the light and guide of others. They should 
be internally what they assume to be externally — honest, 
pure — the outer man the reflection of the heaven-wrought 
purity within. Thus they become like Him who is the 
true light of the world. 

Neither the height nor the dimensions of the whole, or 
any of the parts of this lamp-stand are mentioned. Some 
of the rabbis say it was five feet high and three feet 
across the arms; but this seems to be mere conjecture. 
Others say, to preserve the symmetry of the interior, it 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 191 

was, no doubt, made to harmonize with the other symbols 
of the holy place. The height of the candlestick would, 
probably be about the same as the table of show-bread 
that stood over against it — two and one half feet high — 
eighteen inches lower than the altar of incense which 
occupies a central position farther within, and in front 
of the magnificent veil. Thus the symmetry of the whole 
would be harmonious. But while much might be due to 
symmetry, it seems as though such an arrangement 
would so dwarf the appearance of the candlestick as to 
rob it of the imposing appearance due to such a majestic 
piece of furniture. 

Its position was on the south side of the holy place, 
at the left hand of the priest as he entered, and over 
against the table of show-bread. Light for the darkened 
and sustenance for the famished are on the right hand 
and on the left in the kingdom of God. 

The direction in which it stood is not stated ; whether 
the line of light was continuous north and south, or east 
and west. The natural position of the lights would seem 
to be parallel with the south wall, from the golden surface 
of which an unbroken line of light would be reflected 
upon the table with its reserve of perpetual bread. But 
Josephus places it differently. He says : " Over against 
the table, near the southern wall, was set a candlestick 
of cast gold, hollow within, of the weight of one hundred 
pounds. ... It was made Avith its knops and its 
lilies and pomegranates and bowls (which ornaments 
amounted to seventy in all), by which means the shaft 
elevated itself on high from a single base and spread it- 
self into as many branches as there are planets, including 
the sun among them. It terminated in seven heads, in 
one row, all standing parallel to one another. These 



192 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

"branches carried seven lamps, one by one, in imitation of 
the number of the planets. These lamps looked to the 
east and to the south, the candlestick being situated 
obliquely. — Ant. iii, 6, 7. 

There is something peculiar about the directions for 
arranging the lamps, and somewhat difficult to be under- 
stood. Ex. xxv, 37 : " They shall light the lamps that 
they may give light over against it." Over against what? 
The Targum of Onkelos says*: "And kindle its lights 
that they may shine toward its face." Targum of Pal- 
estine : "That they may shine over upon its face." 
Bellamy : " Cause the lamps to ascend, with the light 
over the passage of presence." In Num. viii, 2, where a 
similar direction is given : " Shall give light over against 
the candlestick." The Targum of Palestine on the same 
says : " When thou dost kindle the lamps upon the can- 
delabrum the seven lamps shall be alight, three on the 
western side and three on the eastern side, and the 
seventh in the midst." This shows the lamps in a line 
east and west. The Douay follows the Latin Vulgate, and 
gives a paraphrase rather than a translation: "When 
thou shalt place the seven lamps, let the candlestick be 
set upon the south side. Give orders, therefore, that 
the lamps look over against the north toward the table 
of the loaves of proposition ; over against that part shall 
they give light toward which the candlestick looketh." 

These several renderings — and others might be given — 
will show the difficulty translators have had with this one 
direction about ordering the lamps. The last from the 
Yulgate and the Douay, which, as we have stated, is only 
a paraphrase, gives us probably the true meaning. An 5 
cient lamps were made oblong, with the wicks protruding 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 193 

from one end. These seven were set in line east and 
west, opposite the table of show-bread. The lamps, when 
set in their respective cups, were all turned away from 
the wall, with the lighted end toward the table of show- 
bread. Thus the lamps would all shine " from one face," 
or " with one face ; " the candlestick would give light 
"over against itself;" the shadow of the lamps would 
all fall behind them and the lamp-stand, and the full force 
of the light be thrown toward the center of the room 
and toward the table, and what fell in the rear of the 
stand would be reflected from the golden wall behind it. 
It is a tradition of the Jews, that Aaron first lit the mid- 
dle lamp with fire from the altar of burnt-offering, and 
then the other lamps from that. 

The candlestick was provided with snuffers, trays, and 
suitable dishes to be used in trimming the lights and 
keeping them in proper order. These were all made of 
the finest gold ; for, as one says, the meanest things in 
the house of God should be made to correspond with its 
richness and purity. Though they were but servants of 
the majestic lamps, they were honored instruments in 
increasing its brilliancy, so that the most humble one in 
the house of God may do something to aid in diffusing 
the light. 

The Gil for the Lamps. 

As this was the " pure candlestick," the oil for the 
lights was to be of the purest kind — oil of olives. The olive 
tree was conspicuous as a type of richness, fertility, and 
beauty. " Command the children of Israel that they 
bring unto thee pure oil olive, beaten, for the light to 
cause the lamps to burn continually." This was to be 
" beaten oil." The olives were first cleansed from twigs, 
17 



194 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

leaves, and all impurities, crushed and put in a bag or 
basket, and that which dripped out of itself was the pure 
oil for the light. Afterward they were ground and 
pressed, and an inferior oil obtained that might be used 
in the offerings, but not for the lights. 

This oil was to be a voluntary contribution of the peo- 
ple. Though the common people were not usually al- 
lowed in the holy place, they were taught that they had 
an interest in all its unseen work. The rulers, as well 
as the common people, made contributions for the light. 
Ex. xxxv, 28. All, rich and poor, rulers and ruled, were- 
made to feel that for them the sevenfold light was con- 
tinually shining — that they all had a common interest in 
it. So of the church of God; for us its light has been 
kindled, and all have a common duty in sustaining it. 
If we have the means of imparting light — freely we have 
received, freely should we give. The church of God 
shines for all — high and low, the monarch and the subject r 
and all should alike bring their contributions into it. 
Neither minister nor people are authorized to set up new 
lights ; they are to minister to the light God has kindled, 
and always keep it shining. 

It seems the lamps were first lighted and tended by 
Aaron, but soon after his consecration he was assisted by 
others. So also a thing is said to be done by Aaron, 
when it was only done under his direction or supervision. 
So Aaron afterward came to be a kind of common name 
for all, or any one engaged in the service. 

Continual Light. 
The oil was to be furnished to " cause the lamps to 
burn continually." While all admit they burned through 
the night, some have questioned whether they burned 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 195 

through the day. The tenure of scripture seems evi- 
dently to imply that they did. It was to be a perpetual 
light. It "was ordered from " even unto morning before 
the Lord ;" this we understand to mean not only during 
the night, but the whole day — as in Genesis the evening 
and the morning were one day! The light of day was 
excluded from the sanctuary, and there was no need of 
artificial light by day as well as by night to enable the 
priest to perform the service. The house of God is at 
no time to be left in darkness. 

Of the golden altar it was said : "Aaron shall burn 
thereon sweet incense every morning ; when he dresseth 
the lamps he shall burn sweet incense upon it; and when 
he lighteth the lamps at even he shall burn incense upon 
it." — Ex. xxx, 7. From this we learn the order of the 
work. When the priest went in to burn the morning in- 
cense, he trimmed and dressed the lamps, supplied oil 
and wicks, if necessary, and relighted those that had 
gone out, as some of them would be likely to do, and 
thus prepared them for the day. In the evening he did 
the same, and made them ready for the night, and thus 
they were made " to burn always." 

It is well to note the unity of this light. The illumi- 
nation, though proceeding from seven lamps, was one 
light. The Hebrew constantly uses the singular number. 
The lamps sent forth, not their light, but light; the oil 
was for the light to cause the lamp to burn always. 
The united whole was the lamp of God, as in 2d Samuel, 
iii, 3 : " Ere the lamp of God went out in the sanctuary." 
God is one, His light is one — always the same. Mes- 
siah says of his disciples : " Ye are the light of the 
world." If all borrow from Christ the one light, there 
will be unity. The light kindled within them should be 



196 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

like the light of the golden lamp — it should be one and 
always burning. We have seen how the lamp of the holy 
place burned night and day ; so we are told that, even at 
the present time, it is a custom among the Jews to keep 
a lamp continually burning in their synagogues, before 
the ark, or in some conspicuous place, in commemoration 
of the perpetual light which formerly burned in their 
temple. — Customs and Ceremonies of the Jews. 

The History of the Candlestick. 

" I have not only felt a deep interest," said Elnathan, 
" in studying the moral lessons of these holy vessels of 
the sanctuary, but in following their history. For some 
450 years this Tabernacle continued to be the center of 
Hebrew worship. The tribes gathered in company to 
Shiloh ; the golden lights continued to burn, and the fra- 
grant incense to ascend. The first great change was 
from the frail curtains of the Tent to the more enduring 
temple on the mount of the Lord. We might suppose 
the candlestick would be given an honored place in the 
more costly structure ; but no mention is made of it. 
The ark of the testimony was preserved with great care,, 
and we might reasonably conclude the golden altar, the table 
and candlestick would not be forgotten or uncared for. 
In this temple of Solomon ten golden candlesticks, to cor- 
respond to the greater magnificence of the place were 
set, five on the right hand and five on the left of the ora- 
cle, and we have only the traditions of the Rabbins that 
this one was honored by standing in the midst. 

" For many years the magnificent temple at Jerusalem 

was the glory of the nation and the wonder of the world. 

The lamps of God continued to burn, and the fragrant 

ncense to fill the holy place. Then came the Chaldean 



THE GOLDEX CANDLESTICK. 197 

conquerors ; Jerusalem was trodden down ; the temple 
burned with fire, and the golden furniture, with the 
costly candlesticks, transferred to the idolatrous temples 
of Babylon. 

" The seventy weary years of the captivity at last were 
ended ; Jerusalem was rebuilt, and a new temple crowned 
the summit of Moriah. But among the golden spoils 
returned from the plunder of the captivity, no mention 
is made of the golden candlesticks. This second temple, 
like the Tabernacle in the desert, appears to have had 
but one, the size and weight of which are unrecorded. 
\Yhether this was the one that continued to shed the 
hallowed light in the enlarged temple of Herod we do 
not know. 

" But all these gorgeous symbols, and all this imposing 
temple service, were but shadows of better things to 
come. Altars, oblations, holy place, and all its ministra- 
tions, were to end in Him who was to come — the Prince 
of Peace, the Messiah of Israel, the Redeemer of the 
world ! The true light was revealed from heaven ; the 
eternal sacrifice was laid upon the altar ; the veil of the 
temple was rent ; its missioa ended. Again the conquer- 
ing legions came, and when they plundered and burned 
the great temple they still found a golden candlestick to 
grace the pageant of an exultant conqueror. On the 
triumphal arch of Titus at Rome a memorial of it may 
still be seen. 

" "What finally became of this relic of a vanishing dis- 
pensation no one can tell. The last known of it was that 
it was deposited with other trophies in the museum of the 
great Temple of Peace at Rome. Whether it was de- 
stroyed when that museum was burned, A. D. 190, or was 
lost in the Tiber while it was being removed, as some 



198 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

assert, or whether, as others tell us, it fell into the hands 
of the vandal conquerors of the imperial city, a. d. 455, 
and was afterward sent to Carthage and thence to Con- 
stantinople, and finally returned to Jerusalem, where it 
was lost in the Saracen conquest, are little more than 
matters of conjecture. But even if it could be shown 
what became of this one taken by Titus there is no his- 
toric connection between it and this one we are now con- 
templating and in the light of which Ave are now learn- 
ing these wonderful lessons of God. 

" The gold candlestick — type of the true light Jehovah 
would kindle among men — continued as long as God 
had use for it. When Jesus, Messiah, came to His 
temple and said, "I am the light of the world," the 
lamps in the holy place burned dim and faded away. 
The seven strong arms of massive gold, with their seven- 
fold radiance, drooped before the omnipotent arm of Him 
who held aloft the blazing torch of life — a light to lighten 
the Gentiles and the glory of Israel! " 

" What beautiful lessons," exclaimed Jason, " the 
sanctuary of God reveals ! Messiah is the golden candle- 
stick ; He bears up all the branches. The oil feeding the 
flame of every lamp is the Holy Spirit of God. Blessed 
Savior, as the lamps were filled with the consecrated oil, 
so may our hearts be filled with the burning influences 
of the Spirit of God !" 

" The branches," said another, " were all made alike ; 
so Christians, the light of the world, should all bear the 
same divine stamp — begotten of the same Father ; born 
into the same family ; heirs of the same glory ; all should 
emit the same light ; speak the same thing. The lamps 
were one light : ' Father, may they be one in us,' was the 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 199 

prayer of the Savior. As the hand of Bezaleel molded 
the divine pattern, so may we be molded into the perfect 
image of the divine likeness ; so shall we shine as lights 
in the world — we shall give light over against the sanctu- 
ary revealing its beauties." 



200 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT, 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Conversation on the Golden Candlestick — Continued. 

As the company conversed of the golden symbol they 
seemed to stand in the very radiance of its resplendent 
light. Their souls were aglow with a heavenly inspira- 
tion, while still new lessons were revealed to their inquir- 
ing minds. 

" What became of the candlestick is of but little con- 
sequence," said one, " compared to the great truths 
it typified and the results of its teachings. The gold has 
become dim, and the glory of the workmanship has per- 
ished, but the candle of the Lord still shines, and we may 
come and stand in the glory of its light purer and more 
blessed than any the pure oil of Israel ever kindled." 

" Some of our people," said the Rabbi, " make the 
light of the candelabrum an emblem of the light of the 
Pentateuch. Many parts of it require a careful expla- 
nation, and those whose high mission it is to expound it 
must be careful that the oil is prepared for the light, 
1 pure and beaten ;' the law of the Lord is perfect, enlight- 
ening the soul. As the pure olive oil caused the lamp to 
burn with brilliancy, so the blessed law is the oil that 
burns in our lamps that the light may be clear and efful- 
gent ; when this truth is adulterated, or the meaning per- 
verted, the light becomes dim." 

" The same," said I, " may well apply to all the minis- 
ters and teachers of God's holy truth ; they must try to 
trim, not dim, the holy light. They should be careful, 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 201 

by study, by meditation, and prayer, to bring beaten oil 
into the sanctuary that the people may stand in the light 
of God." 

" The people/' continued Achmed, " were to prepare 
a sanctuary that Jehovah might dwell among them. 
Where now shall we prepare Him a habitation ? I love 
to think of the heart as a sanctuary for the inner dwell- 
ing of the Living One. Then the law will become per- 
petual light ; so our midrash teaches : ' The Lord has 
said let my candle be in thy hand and thy candle in my 
hand.' The law is the candle of the Lord ; for it is said 
the commandment is a lamp and the law is light. When 
a man fulfills a commandment it is as if he lit a can- 
dle before the Lord. So, too, as from one lamp a thou- 
sand others may be lighted, and its brilliancy not dimin- 
ished, so from a lamp of the Lord millions upon millions 
may be enlightened and its flame be still the same." 

" Let us remember," said Elnathan, " that the candle- 
stick had trays and snuffers, but no extinguishers. Let 
us keep them trimmed and bright, but never put them 
out. Only by the lamp could the beauties of the sanctu- 
ary be seen and known ; only by the lamp of the Lord 
can we know and understand the glory and excellency of 
the spiritual kingdom. The daily sacrifices represented 
the perpetual eificacy of Christ's atonement; the burn- 
ing of incense, morning and evening, typifies His contin- 
ual intercession ; the ordering of the lamps the illumina- 
tions of His holy spirit." 

" What wonderful lessons," said Jason, " are here. 
Light and life are inseparably connected. God is light, 
and in Him is no darkness at all. Well did the apostle 
John say : ' In Him was life, and the life was the light 
of men.' Messiah said : ' I am come a light into the 



202 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

world that men might not walk in darkness but have the 
light of life.' Without the sevenfold light, the beauty 
and glory of the sanctuary would all have been concealed ; 
without Him the glory of the richer spiritual temple 
would never have been revealed. Messiah is the Golden 
Candlestick ! He walks among the churches ; He bears 
up all the branches ; by Him Ave shine as lights in the 
world. My soul doth magnify the Lord ! Like John in 
his vision I see seven lamps of fire, symbols of the seven- 
fold spirit of God, and my soul is filled with the glory 
of His presence ! " 

"From this sevenfold light of the sanctuary," said I, 
" some of the beautiful and instructive figures of the 
New Testament are drawn. John on Patmos had a vis- 
ion of the throne of God in heaven. Before the throne 
he saw burning seven lamps of fire which are the seven 
spirits of God. Rev. iv, 5. At another time he saw 
seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the candle- 
sticks one like unto the Son of Man. The church in 
Ephesus, accused of having left her first love, is exhorted 
to repent ' or I will come unto thee quickly and remove 
thy candlestick out of its place unless thou repent.' 
Rev. ii, 5. We can here understand the force of this fig- 
ure ; what would the sanctuary be but a place of darkness 
if the light were withdrawn ? " 

"Another lesson impresses me," said Elnathan. " This 
is called the pure candlestick. It was made of pure gold ; 
it was kept pure and bright by the continued attentions 
of the priests ; it was supplied with pure oil, contributed 
from the purest motives. So it seems to be that all that 
pertains to the spiritual man, and to the spiritual sanc- 
tuary of God, should ever bear the stamp of immaculate 
purity." 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 203 

" Impressive lesson, indeed," said another. "God's chil- 
dren should shine as lights in the world ; not from any 
unworthy or selfish motive ; not from ambition or vain 
glory; nor yet from self-righteousness. The flame 
should be sustained — the deed prompted — by the pure 
oil of divine love ; not beaten or pressed by the wheel 
of adversity, by the hard hand of affliction, or the 
judgment of God. All should be the spontaneous offer- 
ing of an humble, penitent, yet grateful and adoring 
heart." 

During all this time Ben Achmed had said little, but 
had listened with earnest attention. He stood for a time 
as if absorbed in deep thought ; then said : " In the morn- 
ing of creation God said ' let there be light,' and it was 
lisht, for God was there. When darkness was on Miz- 
raim, Jehovah said, ' let there be light in the dwellings 
of Israel,' and it was light, for God was there. When 
the curtains closed around this Tabernacle and the light 
of the sun was shut out, there was light in the sanctuary, 
for God was there. Jehovah is light. The Tabernacle 
and the temple are in ruins; where now is the light of 
the seven golden branches ? Must man wander in dark- 
ness ? " 

" Why," said Jason, " are thine eyes holden ? How 
beautiful the lessons of the golden light ! God is still 
in the world, and men need not walk in darkness. That 
seven-branched candlestick is Messiah. The glory of 
the temple is faded ; the light now shines in the face of 
God's Anointed One. Did that Anointed One not speak 
truth when He said to thy people, ' I am the light of 
the world ; he that followeth me shall not walk in dark- 
ness, but shall have the light of life ? ' " 

" Often," said Elnathan, " have I read with deep and 



204 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

wondering interest the prophetic declarations of the 
Psalms and the Prophets of the coming of the True 
Light — the glory of the world. David was sure his 
throne would be established forever. How Isaiah pene- 
trated the coming centuries in visions of the glory to be 
revealed ; when the people that walked in darkness 
should see great light ; when even upon those that walked 
in the shadow of death light should shine. Is. ix, 2. 
This mighty seer of God foresaw the blazing glory that 
should burst on Zion ; when ' Gentiles should come to 
her light and kings to the rising brightness.' Why is it 
that in these ecstatic visions the Gentiles are so often 
spoken of as inheritors with Israel of the coming glory 
that should burst the boundaries of seas and nations ; fill 
the valleys, and kindle upon the mountain tops of the 
universal world ? " 

Achmed replied : " David was the Messianic king ; Isa- 
iah the Messianic prophet. They did not speak in vain. 
David saw a coming One to perpetuate his throne and 
power; Isaiah saw One to extend the glory of the king- 
dom." 

" Yes," was the answer, " David's expectations have 
not been in vain. One has been exalted to His throne 
who is above all others, not because He is David's son, but 
David's Lord. Millions to-day rejoice in His light who had 
else walked in darkness. And for what did Moses look ? 
Did he not expect that this wonderful revelation of law, 
of altars and bleeding victims, was to culminate in some- 
thing higher, better, more glorious ? 'A prophet,' he 
says, ' shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like 
unto me ; Him shall ye hear in all things.' ' 

" Mosheh," said Ben Achmed, " was a great Rabbi in 
Israel." 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 205 

" But Messiah," said I, " was a greater." 
" Rabbi Mosheh led the people out of Egypt." 
" Yes, but Rabbi Joshua led them into the promised 
land. Moses laid the foundation, but our Joshua leads 
us to a richer and more enduring inheritance. ' So,' 
He says, ' had ye believed Moses ye would have believed 
me, for he wrote of me.' So when He met His disciples 
after the resurrection, He upbraided them for their un- 
belief ; and, beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He 
expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things 
concerning Himself. — Luke xxiv, 27. We honor Moses, 
the law, and the prophets, but we honor Him more of 
whom they spake ; who is the end of the law, and in 
whom it is fulfilled. We do not despise thy people ; we 
would not speak unkindly of them ; we are too deeply in 
their debt. Mosaism is the mine from which came the 
jewels of our Christian faith ; the soil in which the tree 
of our holy religion has its roots ; the channel through 
which our dearest hopes and choicest blessings have 
reached us." 

"And yet, alas ! " said Ben Achmed, " how my people 
have been scattered ; made a by-word and reproach ; 
spurned by the nations ; trampled and robbed ! Yet I 
believe Jehovah is still their God. What a history they 
claim. Strangely called, strangely kept! Wars have 
not crushed them ; the great ocean of humanity has not 
engulfed them. They have had a glorious mission. To 
them Jehovah's revelations have been intrusted. We 
stood at this Mount Sinai a nation in holy covenant with 
its God. Is our mission among the nations ended ? " 

" I would not," said Elnathan, " say aught against thy 
people ; dim the luster of their glory, or crush their 
cherished hopes. Could I speak for the whole world I 



206 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

would acknowledge the' debt we owe thy race. They 
have done what no other nation could do — they have 
given us the Messiah. Christ was a Jew ; His apostles 
were Jews ; all His early disciples were Jews ; Paul was 
a Jew ; and Jews were the primal messengers that 
planted the faith in Asia, in Europe, in Africa ; that car- 
ried it over the world. 

" The scriptures of the Old Testament was the great 
text-book from which they always preached. On that 
Paul rested his faith ; Hebrew of the Hebrews, he clung 
to the faith and hope of his fathers. The scriptures were 
opened to him ; he saw the wonderful fulfillment of the 
Messianic prophecies. He went boldly into the syna- 
gogues to his brethren and proudly declared his message. 
He planted himself firmly upon the foundation of the 
law and the prophets and reasoned out of the scriptures 
that Jesus was the Messiah, saying none other things 
than those which the prophets and Moses did say should 
come ; that Christ should suifer ; that He should be the 
first to rise from the dead and show light unto the people 
and the Gentiles. — Acts, xxvi. 

" The New Testament is built upon the Old ; the foun- 
dation is' the Apostles and the Prophets, Messiah the 
corner-stone of all. Thy people to-day are but a rem- 
nant ; a few millions at most, while the tree of the 
promised One, that found root and nourishment in the 
soil of Mosaism, is spreading its branches over all the 
world. Whole nations sit in its shade, and hundreds of 
millions rejoice in its hopes who, but for Israel's God and 
Abraham's seed and Messiah's brighter light, had to-day 
been in darkness. Thy people have been nursing fathers 
and nursing mothers, but the children have become a 
numerous seed. Why should thy people be jealous? 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 207 

Why should we not all rather rejoice that God has made 
Israel a blessing to the nations according to the promises- 
to the fathers ? " 

••Wisely spoken," said Jason; "these things do all 
end in Messiah. He is the golden candlestick ; the light 
of the sanctuary ; the light of the world — Messiah of the 
nations. Without the sevenfold light the beauty of the 
sanctuary would have been all concealed ; the holy bread, 
the altar of incense, the way into the holy of holies — 
type of heaven — would have been shrouded in darkness^ 
The light of Messiah kindles upon them with a radiance- 
all heavenly. We see the way ; we are led to the golden 
altar, to offer the acceptable incense ; we come to the 
mercy-seat and stand under the outstretched wings of 
the cherubim. No ! Jehovah has not left the world in 
darkness. Faded are the curtains of the Tabernacle ; 
crumbled the stones of the great temple ; sacrilegious 
hands bore away this golden symbol from the sanctuary, 
but over God's holy altars in His great spiritual temple 
the light still shines ; see it like the sun ascending to the 
zenith of its glory. Come, stand in its radiance." 

During all this conversation Achmed seemed absorbed 
in deep thought. Occasionally his countenance betrayed 
the intense emotions of his heart. He had long strug- 
gled under the pressure of doubt and anxiety that, like 
a heavy burden, had rested upon his soul. He had cov- 
ered from his companions the real workings of his mind ; 
they had caught only glimpses of the questionings that 
disturbed him. He was an honest and an urgent seeker 
after the truth. The Messiah ! Who is He ? "Where 
shall I find Him ? The climax of his struggle seemed to 
have come, and his yearning heart was crying out for 
light. He had ventured into untried paths ; paths where 



208 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

many had walked and found peace, but paths all new to 
him, and from which the prejudices of his early teachings 
and life-long associations held him back. Though he was 
a learned rabbi, in many things he felt he was still a 
novice. The Tabernacle, the temple, the ceremonials of 
their worship ; atonement, reconciliation, pardon — had 
he yet comprehended the full import of these strange 
revelations ? Mosaism seemed to stand before him like 
an unfinished structure, needing the hand of some skillful 
architect to round it into symmetry and beauty. In 
these walks into the sanctuary he had been taking ad- 
vanced lessons in the school of God. A deeper and 
broader significancy in these golden symbols was opening 
before him, and he began to wonder at the narrowness of 
his former views and interpretations. Though a rabbi 
in Israel, his eyes had been blinded to the deep signifi- 
cance of these revelations ; the grand, broad mission of 
his people. He began to see that in these things Jeho- 
vah was teaching, not a nation only, but the nations — 
not Israel alone, but the whole world. The Messiah ! for 
what was He to come ? What His mission but to break 
down the barriers, proclaim these great universal truths 
in all their broad significance — to hold aloft the golden 
candlestick for the one great spiritual sanctuary of God, 
and show the nations light ! 

He stepped forward as if approaching some visible 
object: "Let me," said he, "stand in the light of the 
golden candelabrum." For a few moments he seemed 
absorbed in deep thought. He closed his eyes and, ap- 
parently lost to all about him, burst forth in earnest, im- 
passioned prayer. 



THE GOLDEX CANDLESTICK. 209 

Prayer of Ben Achmed by the Golden Candlestick. 

To Thee, Author of light, I come! Open Thy 
heavens to the voice of Thy servant, who cries unto Thee 
for divine illumination. The sun, the moon, and all the 
shining hosts of heaven, are marshaled at Thy will, and 
Thou hast hung them in the heavens to spread Thy re- 
vealing wonders through all the universe. As sparks 
from the flame, so worlds come from Thy hand. I look 
up to the magnificence of Thy heavens ! A million flam- 
ing torches burn before Thy throne. Shall man discover 
the wonders of Thine outward creation, and his soul wan- 
der in darkness? Why was this sevenfold light kindled 
in Thy holy sanctuary ? Why the illumination of the 
Shekinah upon the wings of the Kerubae ? Jehovah ! 
everlasting ! here Thou didst shine in the midst of Thy 
holy places. Hast Thou no light for those who wander in 
darkness ? Holy and everlasting one ! Light of all 
lights ! I seek the divine illumination — the light of life, 
the light of Thy salvation, the light that shines in the 
face of the Messiah of the nations. Make the moun- 
tains of my unbelief melt away like Hermon's snows 
beneath Thy sun. Scatter the clouds of my doubt as 
these valleys are cleared of the morning mists when the 
king of the day kindles in glory upon them. 

Thou, whose blessings dropped upon this barren 
desert ! here Thou didst go before the face of thy people, 
and even this Mount Sinai was ablaze with the glory of 
Thy presence. Has Jehovah forgotten to be gracious ! 
Does He love His children less ? Hast Thou withdrawn 
Thyself and put out the light of the sanctuary ? Art 
Thou not still the Fountain of Life ? hast Thou not light 
18 



210 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

for darkened ones ? Thou changest not. Thou art still 
Elohim the Almighty. Thy name is still E-he-yeh asher 
E-he-yeh — I Am that I Am. As on this mount of the 
fiery law Thou didst discover Thyself to Thy servant Mo- 
sheh, when Thou didst make Thy Shekinah pass before 
His face, proclaiming the Lord God gracious and merci- 
ful — abounding to exercise compassion and truth — keep- 
ing mercy and bounty for thousands — absolving and re- 
mitting guilt, passing by rebellions, and covering sins — 
so be Thou still : and grant unto Thy servant, who puts 
his mouth in the dust, the revelation of Thy light in the 
glory of the promised One. 

In waiting I have waited; in looking I have looked. 
In the midst of these mountains of God, within the cur- 
tains of Thy holy Tabernacle, by the altars where Thou 
didst kindle the sacred fire, beneath the branches of this 
sevenfold symbol, I have inquired after Thee. Jeho- 
vah God ! show Thyself and give me light. Thou didst 
curse the earth for man's sin ; Thou wilt bless it for 
Meshiah's righteousness. Where briars grew the rose 
shall bloom; where thorns sprang up the olive and the 
fig shall yield their fatness ; where was darkness Thou 
canst make man to see the glory to be revealed. Je- 
hovah, merciful ! where is the promised One — the desire 
of nations, the hope of the world ? Why this Taberna- 
cle taken away, Thy holy temple in ruins? Thy cove- 
nant people scattered ? Where burns the golden lamp ? 
From whence the guiding light ? Does Jehovah yet tab- 
ernacle among men ? Has the boundaries of His habita- 
tion been enlarged? The stretching out of the wings 
of the Kerubae measured the world ! 

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, hear me ! 
Satisfy the yearnings of my soul after Thy truth. The 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 211 

lightnings are Thv ministers, Thine angels flames of fire. 
Thou canst still visit; Thou hast not forgotten to be gra- 
cious. Jehovah ! lay Thine hand upon me ; not like 
the burning fire, but like the healing balm. What can I 
say ? What can I do ? Open mine eyes, show me Thy 
light ! With the tongue of my soul I cry unto Thee. 
Like Thy servant Mosheh, I bow myself to the earth — I 
roll myself on Thee and wait thy revelations." 

As Achmed continued his importunate supplications 
he had fallen upon his knees, buried his face in his hands 
and laid them in the dust. His voice was tremulous; 
his strong frame betrayed the deep emotions that moved 
his inmost soul. For a few moments he was silent. . . . 

The crisis was over. The vehemence of his manner 
passed away. It was the culmination of his long soul 
struggles — of years of anxious .thought and of inquiry, 
of hope and fear, of darkness and doubt — a holy calm 
succeeded. 

Again he stood upright ; for a few seconds no one 
spake. As with the man Moses, in the struggle of his 
decision in the court of Pharaoh, faith had triumphed — 
the light of the golden candelabrum of Jehovah's spiritual 
sanctuary had cast its light into his inmost soul. His 
eyes, always bright, kindled with an unusual glow, and 
his face was radiant as with heavenly luster, remind- 
ing one of Moses when he came down from his long 
and intimate communion with God upon the mount. 

Our eyes met. In our long and earnest talks we had 
come to love each other as fellow-seekers after the truth, 
but now there was a flash of recognition souls kindred in 
spiritual fellowship only know how to interpret. We 
rushed into each others arms, and the strong man wept. 

He was first to speak. 



212 

" I see it ! I see it ! how I have been blinded ! The 
light of the sevenfold lamp of the sanctuary has not 
been in vain. Its rays do go through all my soul. 
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, whose light was on 
the face of Mosheh; thrice blessed for the brighter light 
that kindles on the crown of King Meshiah. I saw the 
moon and walked in her silvery light ; the great sun 
arises in splendor, and his golden light fills all my soul. 
The glory of Jehovah has passed before me, and Meshiah 
stands revealed in all the brightness of His divine mani- 
festations, and all the glory and magnitude of His di- 
vine mission. I see Him brighter than the burnished 
gold of table, ark, and altar. I recognize His form and 
Son given — the Child born, the Memra, the Everlasting 
Word, the Light of the world ! His voice comes down to 
me through the centuries of the past ; I hear Him in the 
utterances of the prophets ; I see Him in the teachings 
of all these symbols ; I see the true blood of atonement 
in all these oblations. 

"The glad tidings! The glad tidings of great joy! 
Hear it ye anxious burdened ones and be astonished ! It 
is the voice of the promised One ; it is Bathkol whisper- 
ing from Zion, announcing the freedom from bondage — 
the world's redemption ! I will declare the glad tidings ! 

" It is the voice of salvation proclaiming the welcome 
of Jehovah to the feast of the nations. It is the rising 
of the sun of righteousness ; the coming of the expected 
light; it is the voice of David's Son and David's Lord 
proclaiming salvation for the people. I will declare the 
glad tidings ! 

" Jehovah, who is a God like unto Thee ? Thou art 
performing Thy truth unto Jacob, Thy promise unto 



THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 213 

Abraham, and in his seed thou art blessing the nations. 
Thou art my Father ; I am with Thee and with the Son 
of Thy covenant. Thou hast brought me out of the land 
of weeping into the valley of the eucharist, and to the 
mountain of hallelujahs ! " * 

* See hallelujah chorus of the Jews. 



21-1 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Achmed's Experience. 

Ben Achmed was now prepared to enter with heartfelt 
zeal into all our studies of the Mosaic symbols. New 
light had dawned upon him, all the apartments and ap- 
pointments of the sanctuary were luminous with new and 
unexpected revelations. He had won our esteem by his 
kind and affable deportment ; his large and magnanimous 
heart ; his childlike frankness, sincerity, and humility ; 
the ardor and purity of his devotion. Now he seemed 
bound to us by new and warmer ties. We were kindred 
by the fellowship of the spirit. We experienced the truth 
of the inspired apostle : ' k If we walk in the light we 
have fellowship one with another." 

The company had separated for a morning ramble. I 
entered with Achmed the garden of the convent, and we 
seated ourselves in the shade of a cluster of pome- 
granates just now richly laden with their gay scarlet 
blossoms. The luxuriant verdure of the inclosure pre- 
sented a striking contrast to the sterile mountain slope 
that arose in grandeur high above us. To the quick im- 
agination of the Rabbi the scene was suggestive. 

" The tree of life,'"' said he, " grew in the midst of the 
paradise of God. When Jehovah, blessed be His name, 
expelled man for his disobedience, He did not destroy 
the garden or the tree. While justice held the unsheathed 
sword the angel of Jehovah with the cherubim and the 
mercy-seat lingered at the gate. how I have longed 



achmed's experience. 215 

*o come back to the beautiful garden and pluck the fruit 
of the tree of life ! " 

" God," said I, " has not abandoned those He made 
in His own image. It is Messiah's mission to restore all 
things." 

" Yes, Jehovah, blessed be His name, is merciful. The 
Kerubae spread their wings of love over the law, and 
justice buries his sword in the blood of atonement. 
Meshiah comes a merciful high priest, not to be minis- 
tered unto, but to give His life a ransom for many." 

" The blood of atonement," said I, " was to thy fath- 
ers the blood of reconciliation. What efficacy in that 
blood only as it foreshadowed something richer, more 
efficacious to come ? In our musings in the Tabernacle 
we have caught more than glimpses of the Great Restorer. 
His arms of mercy doth encompass us all. We, who 
sometimes were far off, and ye, children of the covenant, 
who were nigh, are all made one. In the blessings and 
tope of redemption Messiah becomes our peace; breaks 
down the wall of separation; abolishes the enmity con- 
tained in commands and ordinances ; makes of the twain 
one new man, so making peace. We all do become 
fellow citizens with the saints, and members of the house- 
hold of God. Patriarchs and prophets of the old, and 
apostles and ministers of the new, are all built upon the 
same foundation ; do all become one great spiritual 
temple of Jehovah ; pillars bound together by the golden 
bars of love, set upright in the incorruptible foundation, 
whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth into 
an holy temple in the Lord." — Eph. ii. 

" Yes, the Restorer is here," said Ben Achmed, " the 
gates of the garden stand open ; the tree of life bends 
with its blessed fruits ; the river of God flows through 



216 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

the earth. How rich and full and free the blessings. 
Yon sun shines upon us from the heavens as if made for 
us alone, but for millions over the great world He has 
equal blessings. How wonderful is redemption ! The 
great work of Jehovah the theme and glory of His rev- 
elation ! Adam was not left without hope, nor Abra- 
ham to perish in the idolatry of the nations, nor Mosheh 
to die in the idolatry of Egypt. The altar, the cherubim, 
the Shekinah do help us back to Eden, to communion 
with Jehovah. The more I see and feel, the more I won- 
der and adore ! " 

" Jehovah," said I, " hath blessed thee and led thee 
to the waters of quietness and the pastures of refresh- 
ment." 

"Jehovah, blessed be His name, hath taken me by the 
hand. A son of Ishmael came to me this morning and 
offered me some beautiful gems he had found among the 
rocks. They were of no use to me ; my soul was lifted 
above all perishable treasures. In the lone places of 
these mountains I have sought, and the revelations of 
Jehovah have been to me more precious than all the gems 
that blazed in the breast-plate of Aaron." 

" God, our great Father," said I, " enshrines not him- 
self in curtained tents or marble domes ; the true wor- 
shipers may find Him every-where." 

•• Yes, but how careless our search, and how slow in 
coming. When He led my people from yonder land of 
Mizraee, their murmurings and unbelief kept them in 
the wilderness, and they wandered in long and desolate 
paths." 

" Yes, and just as the prize was within their grasp they 
distrusted the power and promise of God, and they had 
thirty-eight years of wandering and toil before they were 



achmed's experience. 217 

back to Kedesh again. How often our unbelief hinders 
the possession of the promised blessing." 

"Alas ! " responded Achmed, " what a wanderer I have 
been ! But let me speak to you of the guiding hand." 

Achmed's Story. 
" From childhood I took a deep interest in all that re- 
lated to the revelations of Jehovah — the creation of man. 
— redemption — the sublime doctrine of immortality. I 
was early absorbed in the study of religious truth. My 
youth was spent in the schools of the Rabbis. Thus I 
grew up to manhood. I was learned in the scriptures, 
the Targums, the Talmud. I applied myself diligently 
to the study and works of the law. No pharisee of old 
was more punctilious in his religious observances than I. 
Nor was it a mere formality. I can call Jehovah to witness- 
the sincerity of my heart. I thought the tree of life 
grew in Sinai, and diligently I sought to pluck its fruits. 
The morning found me arrayed in the zizith ; I took the- 
fringes in my hands, and the Searcher of Hearts knows the- 
earnestness and sincerity of my prayers. Num. xv, 37. 
The muzuzah was affixed to my door posts, and the te- 
phillin was on my arm and on my forehead. I observed 
the feasts and fasts, and kept the holy days. Yom-kip- 
pur — the great day of atonement — was to me the day of 
all the year. I entered into its observance with a zeal 
born only of a desire for the pardon of sin, and accept- 
ance of Jehovah. From the time three stars were born 
of the darkness* till the night again revealed them, 
no food passed my lips, no fire was kindled in my 

*The Jews commenced their day of atonement in the early 
evening as soon as the three stars appeared. 

19 



218 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

dwelling, and no servile work performed. Barefoot 
and in silence I confessed and humbled myself before 
God." 

"And did you find in this no peace ? " 

" I can not say I found no satisfaction, or spiritual 
enjoyment ; I found much. Jehovah God often seemed 
very near me, and my soul was drawn out unto Him. 
Still there was a seeming distance for which I could not 
account ; a veil that obscured the brightness of His glory. 
Even in the consciousness of duty sincerely performed; 
in my strongest faith that God was my Father and my 
Friend, there was a want unsatisfied ; a longing for a 
fullness of rest and peace my soul failed to find. I 
•devoted myself more constantly and diligently to relig- 
ious duties ; the synagogue was my home. I applied 
myself to the instruction of my people, and to a deeper 
study of the law. And yet there was a disquiet and 
unrest for which I could not account. I could ever see 
at a distance the obscure glimmerings of great clouds 
of truth I could not comprehend. I looked upon them 
as the astronomer looks upon the great mass of neb- 
ula ; I needed some mighty telescope to aid my vision, 
and resolve them into worlds of truth, beauty and 
utility. As the growing plant pulls toward the light, 
so did my soul reach out toward God. Who will 
lead me to the streams of salvation and the lodgments 
•of peace and rest ? 

" I applied myself still more diligently to the study of 
the word of God. The Thora was constantly in my 
hand, and bound to my heart. I searched the prophe- 
cies ; read and re-read, and asked wisdom and guidance 
from the great Father of Lights. These allusions so 
often made to a coming One — what did they mean ? The 



219 

repeated promises of blessings through Him, the glowing 
descriptions of the glories and extent of His kingdom 
and the excellency of His dominion — when was He to 
come ? How, and where was this to be ? 

" I looked and waited and hoped, but saw no sign of 
the promised kingdom. Youth gave place to manhood, 
and my noonday sun was on the western slope, and still 
the great question remained unsolved. I studied the 
Targums, and waded in the Talmud through Cemara and 
Mishna. I consulted the learned of my own kindred, 
but the wisest schools of the Rabbins could not resolve 
my doubts. I found them as much perplexed as myself. 
Many believed He would come and Israel be restored. 
Many had ceased to expect Him. Some still looked for 
a temporal prince, and an earthly kingdom. Many 
thought we were not to look for a literal fulfillment of 
the prophecies relating to Messiah — that Messiah was 
not a real person, but a personification of a coming time 
and a regenerated condition of the world, when the na- 
tions would acknowledge and accept the one true and 
living God of Israel — when the pure faith of Abraham 
and Moses should unite the world in one common broth- 
erhood, and universal peace and harmony should reign. 
This would be the fulfillment of the promises — the tri- 
umph of Israel, the Messiah, the reign of God. But how 
was this grand consummation to be attained ? Could or 
would the scattered remnant of Israel accomplish it? 
The more I consulted and inquired, the farther I seemed 
to be from the solution of the great question — the deeper 
in doubt and uncertainty. But I still had faith in God. 
As out of the chaos and mists of creation's morning 
came the beautiful world, so I still felt that out of the 



220 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

darkness of my doubts would come the glories of a set- 
tled faith. 

" I left my home and traveled in foreign lands, con- 
versed freely with all classes, examined the different 
religious systems of the world. I studied the history 
of the past ; the present condition of the nations." 

" Did you in all this," said I, " examine the claims and 
character of Jesus of Nazareth ? " 

" You know little," replied Achmed, " from experience 
of the prejudices of early teaching, especially religious 
training — how it warps the judgment, bars the avenues 
of investigation, weakens or nullifies opposing argu- 
ments. Religious faith has its roots in the deepest and 
most sacred soil of our nature. We come to feel toward 
it like Israel for the sacred ark — something to be re- 
garded with reverence and not lightly touched. You 
know the deep-seated prejudice of my people against 
your faith. I think this arises not so much from what is 
inherent in the doctrines, as from the manner in which 
the race has been treated by the Christian world — perse- 
cuted, oppressed, despoiled, banished, massacred — wan- 
dering like the dove of Noah without a resting place — 
what a record of oppression and suffering their history 
presents ! We first dislike, then often come to hate our 
persecutors ; and hatred of the persons begets hatred of 
their creed. I shared with my brethren the common 
hostility against the Christian faith ; and yet I had long 
felt that under the beautiful and impressive symbols of 
Mosaism were veiled far more significant and instructive 
truths than my people were accustomed to see. I wan- 
dered abroad, scarce knowing whither I went. The Is- 
raelites in the wilderness were to journey according to 
the instructions cf the word of the Lord; I sought to 



achmed's experience. 221 

be so guided. At last I began to talk more freely with 
the disciples of the Man of Judea, and to read their sa- 
cred books. In a convent in the Lebanon mountains I 
found a copy of the four gospels in the ancient Peschito, 
which fortunately I was able to rend. This book was in 
use araons; the Christians of Syria from the earliest times 
of the church. I also found sketches of the ancient 
Syrian Christians, and one especially of the early He- 
brew church in Jerusalem, with portions of their litur- 
gies', in which those ancient Christians chanted the praise 
of their accepted Messiah. These things opened to me 
a new world of thought — new fields of investigation. 
On my return to Bagdad, then my home, I sent to London 
for a copy of the New Testament in Hebrew, which I un- 
derstood had been recently translated by a Jewish Rabbi 
who had given in his adhesion to the Christian faith.* I 
read, studied and prayed, still looking to God for guid- 
ance. I began now seriously to question of Jesus 
whether he were not the Messiah. Again I reviewed the 
history of the world — the process and gradual unfolding 
of Jehovah's revelation. I came to the closing book of 
our holy oracles by the inspiration of Malachi. I 
counted the years from the closing of that revelation. 
What means this long delay ? Has Jehovah, for lo ! 
these 2500 years, shut up the heavens and withdrawn 
Himself from men? If the promise has not been ful- 
filled, and Messiah has not already come, can we longer 
expect Him ? If He has come, who is He ? When did 
He come, and where ? If He were to come now, where, 
or to whom, would He, or could He come ? Where find 
a people to receive Him ? Israel, the chosen seed, are 

* Rev. J. S. C. F. Frey. 



222 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

scattered among the nations. In the Palestinian land 
He would find no home. It is trodden down of the Gen- 
tiles, and the usurping prophet of Mecca has his heel 
upon it. Surely, I said, the time is past ; if He has not 
come, He never will. Israel will look and wait and hope 
in vain. Messiah, I said, has certainly been here, and 
Jesus is the only claimant ; why should not I believe on 
Him ? If He was not the Messiah, how can we account 
for the appearance of such a person, at such a time, en- 
dowed with such wonderful qualities? I studied His 
character, acts and teachings ; I compared the New Tes- 
tament with the Old ; brought the Messianic prophecies 
and the life of Jesus together, and saw that in Him they 
had a wonderful fulfillment. The prophets drew his 
portrait ; the New Testament reflected it like a mirror. 

" I saw that multitudes of my own brethren in those 
days believed on Him, hailed his coming with joy, and 
many of them became the earnest heralds of the glad 
tidings. I saw His doctrines spread with wonderful 
rapidity until nations were numbered among his follow- 
ers, by the side of whom my own people are but as a 
drop in the bucket. Nations, too, elevated by the power 
of that faith — some even from barbarism — standing 
among the most prosperous ; renowned for their indus- 
tries, their philanthropy, their activity and zeal in every 
good work. I was deeply impressed with his character. 
What lofty virtues ; how tender to the suffering ; how 
compassionate toward the erring; how reverential to 
the law ! What firmness in temptation ; what forbear- 
ance under provocation and insult ! A man of kind 
words, of compassionate deeds and tender sympathy. 
The purity of His life ; the wisdom of His teachings ; 



achmed's experience. 223 

the Godlike power of his works, all seemed to say, 
i Surely this was the Son of God ! ' 

" Still I hesitated and doubted. I was like Nathaniel, 
of whom you spoke, when Philip brought him to Jesus. 
Then to change one's religion — seldom is a man accorded 
sincerity in such an act. Then all the influences of my 
early education ; the tenacity of the faith in which I had 
been reared ; the endearing associations of life-long 
friends and loved ones that must be broken up — how all 
these things rose up like mountains that threatened to 
crush me, standing like impassable barriers across my 
path." 

" Thorny paths we sometimes have to tread," said I. 
" Paul struggled under the same burden ; was called to 
the same sacrifices." 

" Paul had revelations that had not been vouchsafed to 
me. All these things seemed to hold me as in the grasp 
of a giant. My faith was weak and obscured by many 
clouds. I saw these things all imperfectly, as the blind 
man at the first touch of the finger of Jesus. 

" It was with views and feelings like this I met you at 
the encampment by the sea. Jehovah, blessed be His 
name, was directing my steps. I had even then theoret- 
ically accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but my faith was 
enveloped in many clouds through which the light strug- 
gled with feeble rays. I needed some Annanias to take 
me by the hand and lead me into clearer light. I chose 
to put myself in the attitude of a learner in my com- 
panionship with you, and pleasant and instructive our 
walks have been. But it was not till I stood by the 
golden candelabrum throwing its light upon the altar of 
incense and the ever present bread, that the cloud was 
lifted, and the light burst in heavenly radiance upon me. 



224 

It was like the coming of a heavenly visitant, and, as 
with Saul of Tarsus, the scales fell from my eyes, and the 
glory of God shone round about me. I seemed to see 
in one broad blaze the wisdom and perfection of the whole 
grand scheme of redemption reaching from the gate of 
Eden to the hill of Calvary. Patriarchs, Moses, Jesus, 
ivere all one united whole in the building of the mighty 
temple of Jehovah. All teachings, ceremonies, sacrifices 
merging into Messiah ; all fulfilled in Him ; all deriving 
their efficacy from Him." 

" Surely," said I, " the guiding hand of Jehovah has 
l>een with thee ; His teachings have been to thee the lamp 
of life^ The golden light of the sanctuary has not 
"been kindled in vain. Messiah is the tree of life 
in the midst of the garden. The tides obey the moon 
not more surely and silently than the pure heart rises 
toward God. The path will shine brighter and brighter, 
till the full glories of the eternal day shall kindle upon 
thee. The blood of atonement has not ceased its efficacy ; 
the laver of sanctification hath still its cleansing waters." 

" Blessed art Thou, Jehovah," replied Ben Achmed. 
" Thou didst set great lights in the heavens ; the radiance 
of the cloud and fire was on the pathway of Thy people. 
Thou didst adorn the head of Mosheh with the excellency 
of Thy splendor ; the light of the candelabrum filled all 
the holy place. The light of Thy benediction is the joy 
of those that come to Thee ; the throne of Messiah is 
established in righteousness forever. Holy, holy Lord 
God of Zebaoth, the whole earth is full of Thy glory." 

" Glorious indeed are the revelations of God," said I. 
" But we were to join our companions in a visit to the 
golden altar. They are waiting for us." 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 225 



CHAPTER XIX. 

The Golden Altar. 

The third important piece of furniture in the holy 
place was the golden altar, or altar of incense. Direc- 
tions for its form and use Ave find in Ex. xxx : "An altar 
upon which to burn fragrant incense shalt thou make. 
A cubit its length and a cubit its breadth ; four inches 
shall it be, and two cubits its height ;" about eighteen 
inches square and three feet high. It was not necessary 
to be large, as it was only to be used for burning in- 
cense, but its height must be such that the priest could 
conveniently perform its ministrations. This altar was 
to be covered with plates of pure gold. Wickliffe trans- 
lates : " Shalt clothe the altar with cleanest gold," hence 
it is called the golden altar. Profusely, says one, was 
the gold spread over the altar of incense ; richly should 
the altar of the heart be enveloped in golden love, that 
it may ascend the fragrant incense to heaven. 

A massive garland or crown of pure gold was made 
around the top, which served the double purpose 
of ornament and to hold in place what was put upon 
it. Golden rings were placed in, each of two opposite 
corners, through which to thrust the gold-enveloped 
staves by which it was to be borne when the Tabernacle 
was removed. Some represent it with four rings, as in 
the table of show-bread; it probably had but two. The 
Targum of Palestine says : " Two golden rings made for 
it under its crown, at its two corners, upon its two sides." 



226 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Each corner of the altar was to be surmounted with a 
spire or horn of acacia wood, also enveloped with gold. 
The horn was early used as a symbol of strength, dig- 
nity, majesty, and power; probably from the fact that 
they were the honor, strength, and protection of those 
animals that bore them. Thus the horns placed upon 
the corners of the altar not only served the purpose of 
ornament, but symbolized the strength and majesty of Him 
to whom the worshiper came, as well as the security and 
protection to be found at His altar. 

We have an expressive figure in common use originat- 
ing in this form of the golden altar. When we speak 
of coming to God in earnest prayer, we represent it as 
laying hold upon the horns of the altar. The force of 
the expression is here seen and understood, as one lay- 
ing hold upon the horns of the altar could not easily be 
forced away, so the worshiper coming to the altar of 
prayer to offer the incense of praise, to present his sup- 
plications, and to intercede with God, laying hold upon 
the horns of the altar beautifully and forcibly expresses 
the strength of his determination to hold himself there, 
and not be forced away until he obtained the blessing. 

The only piece of furniture accompanying the golden 
altar seems to have been the censer or pan which held the 
coals upon which the incense was laid. The form of the 
censer is not certainly known. It was probably shaped 
like a chalice, with a base for standing upon the altar. 
But the censer the high priest had in his hand upon the 
day of atonement must have been furnished with a han- 
dle or chain. The censer used in the daily service was 
of brass ; that carried by the high priest within the veil 
upon the day of atonement was of gold. 

This altar was set farther within the holy place than 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 227 

either the candlestick or table of show-bread. It had a 
central position between the two sides of the Tabernacle 
north and south in front of the mercy-seat, and just with- 
out the veil of the testimony. "And thou shalt put it 
before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony be- 
fore the mercy-seat that is over the testimony where I 
will meet with thee." — Ex. xxx, 6. The wings of the 
cherubim over the mercy-seat was the high throne of 
Jehovah ; so this incense altar was set directly before the 
ark, and the cherubim, and the cloud of glory, while only 
the veil intervened. Its position had direct reference to 
Jehovah's presence over the mercy-seat in the sublime 
holy of holies. So the revelator in his vision of heaven 
saw a golden altar standing before the throne, and over 
it an angel with a golden censer and much incense. — 
Rev. iii, 8. This incense altar stood directly in the path 
that led into the holiest where God's presence was mani- 
fested. Thus, if one would go into the immediate pres- 
ence of Jehovah, he must pass this altar in his way. If, 
then, we make this altar a type of Messiah, by Him — the 
Anointed One — must we come into audience with the 
Deity. So, too, in approaching this altar, the officiating 
priest passed between the burning lamps and the per- 
petual bread ; the one on the right hand, the other on 
the left ; thus, in coming to Christ, we have on the one 
hand light, on the other spiritual sustenance. Thus en- 
lightened and refreshed are we prepared to come to the 
altar of thanksgiving, and offer the incense of praise. 

The altar of burnt-offering stood within the court, but 
without the sanctuary ; in front of it and looking toward 
it. On that altar only was the sacrificial fire kindled. 
On the golden altar no burnt-offering was to be pre- 
sented ; no atoning fire to be kindled ; no drink-offer- 



228 HAM-MISHKAX, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

ing poured out. On no occasion was the libation, the 
holocaust, or the mincha, to be allowed among its sacred 
ministrations. It was emphatically the altar of sacred 
perfumes — the place of praise and thanksgiving ; it was 
only to be used to burn the holy incense before the Lord. 
Coming to it presupposed that atonement had been made, 
pardon granted, and reconciliation found. 

It was the altar of the people, and in its ministrations 
they all had a special interest ; and the material for the 
fragrant incense was one of their free-will contributions. 
In the morning and in the evening, when the fire had 
been kindled upon the great brazen altar, and the blood 
of the oblation poured out, the priest with the hallowed 
fire and the sacred incense, prepared only by divine 
direction, placed the burning censer upon the golden 
altar, while all around the courts of the Lord the people 
assembled, and as the cloud of holy perfume went up 
toward heaven, with it was mingled the odor of thanks- 
giving from thousands upon thousands of grateful and 
adoring hearts. Here the people were taught to feel 
that that God who was enthroned in unapproachable 
light, bent His ear to catch the faintest accents of praise ; 
here they were made to feel, by these symbolic utterances, 
that the humble heart was Jehovah's accepted altar, 
and the meanest and most obscure, as well as the highest 
and most honored, if there was but that humble, peni- 
tent heart, were alike accepted of Him. 

The Incense. 

The perfume burned upon this altar was called sweet 

incense — literally incense of spices. The incense must 

be no less pure than the altar ; so the ingredients used, 

and the manner of preparing them, were particularly 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 229 

specified by the Lord. Four kinds were especially se- 
lected and named. 

Stacte, a resinous gum, very odoriferous ; the same as 
myrrh, or produced from it — supposed to be the same as 
was afterward known as balm of Jericho. An ancient 
writer says myrrh is a drop, or tear, distilled from a 
tree in Arabia Felix, and stacte is a drop of myrrh 
which is extracted from it. Thus making a most pre- 
cious product. 

Onycha, supposed to be the extract from the crust or 
covering of a muscle, or species of shell-fish, found 
among the waters of the Red Sea, and of India, still the 
basis of some of the principal perfumes of oriental 
countries. 

Galbanum, said to be the thickened juice or sap of an 
umbelliferous plant found in Syria and Persia. 

Pure frankincense was to be added to these — a dry resin- 
ous substance, found in drops, or small pieces, of a pale, 
vellowish white color, exuding from a tree called the arbor 
thuris. It has a bitter acrid taste and a strong odor. 
The appellation frank is said to be derived from the free- 
dom with which it emits its odor. 

These four ingredients were to be used in equal parts 
— weight for Aveight — compounded and made into a per- 
fume after the art of the apothecary, tempered together 
pure and holy ; a little salt, the emblem 01 incorruptness, 
being added. "And as for the perfume ye shall make, ye 
shall not make it to yourselves according to the composi- 
tion thereof; it shall be unto you holy for the Lord." — Ex. 
xxx, 35. It was not allowed to be made or used for any 
other purpose under penalty of being cut off from the 
congregation of the people. No such fragrance was to 
be found in any of their houses or social gatherings. This 



230 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

would induce greater reverence for the fragrant perfume 
of the sanctuary. 

When used it was to be beaten very fine and small that 
its fragrance might be more readily diffused, and its use 
was well calculated to disguise any disagreeable odor 
from the burning flesh of the great altar, as well as 
to symbolize the towering devotions of the assembled 
multitude. The whole sanctuary was filled with the 
pleasant odors, and the place rendered agreeable and 
attractive. 

Once each year — on the great day of atonement — 
Aaron was to expiate upon this altar, or make atonement 
for it, by sprinkling its horns with some of the same 
blood with which he went into the holy of holies. Thus 
the altar was annually sanctified or reconsecrated ; and 
as the altar was typical of prayer, and especially of the 
intercession of Christ, the blood on this altar taught that 
the force and power of all intercession was in the aton- 
ing blood. 

A special prohibition was made that no strange incense 
should be burned on this altar. — Ex. xxx, 9. Jehovah 
has ever been jealous of the purity of His truth and 
worship. He will not allow them to be corrupted or 
supplemented by the devices or intermeddling inventions 
of men. In the worship, as in the building, all must be 
conducted by the heaven appointed rule. Let us do and 
make all things after the pattern. 

The time of offering this incense was every morning 
and every evening. The quantity used is said to have 
been about half a pound. Early in the morning, upon 
the offering of the morning oblation, and in the evening 
as the sacrificial lamb was burning upon the brazen altar 
the incense was burned. This altar had no grato upon 



THE GOLDEN ALTAK. 231 

which to lay the fire, like the altar of burnt-offering, but 
the censer was brought containing the living fire from the 
great altar, and on the coals of this censer the incense 
-was laid, and all placed upon the golden altar. When 
the worship ended with the censer, the coals and the 
ashes were removed, so the altar was always kept pure 
and clean. 

In later times, the Jewish canons say, the time of burn- 
ing the morning incense was after the sacrifice had been 
killed, and before the blood was sprinkled, and the mem- 
bers laid upon the altar ; and in the evening between the 
placing of the evening sacrifice upon the altar and the 
pouring out of the drink-offering. The sacrifice was 
slain, and the blood procured ; the priest then entered 
the holy place, filled and trimmed the lamps — relighted 
such as had gone out — placed the sweet incense on the 
golden altar ; and then retiring, laid the members of the 
slain victim upon the sacrificial fire ; thus while in the 
court the sprinkled blood called for peace and pardon, 
and the smoke of the burning sacrifice ascended, it min- 
gled with the rich cloud of sweet perfume from the holy 
place, the token of the acceptance of the mediation. The 
light poured afresh from the newly-trimmed lamps, as if 
Jehovah would shed the radiance of heaven upon the hal- 
lowed scene, while all the congregation of Israel bowed 
themselves in prayer. 

What an imposing scene ! How full of interest to a 
devoted Israelite ! How much calculated to deeply im- 
press the mind, to encourage boldness in coming to a 
holy God ! Who can not see flashing out from these 
veiled symbols glorious corruscations of light, yet to 
assume the majesty and glory of midday splendor! 
What believer can not in a thousand ways observe the 



232 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Savior's glorious work in these emblems and rituals of a 
now superseded and vanished form of worship ? 

The burning of this incense appears to have been at 
first the especial charge of Aaron, the high priest. — Ex. 
xxx, 7. It is, however, by no means certain that he al- 
ways performed this service, as a person is often said to 
do a thing himself when he only causes it to be done, or 
it is done under his direction, or supervision. Certain it 
is the common priests were subsequently allowed to per- 
form this service. "Aaron " was used in subsequent 
times to denote the whole priestly order; while from 
Luke i, 9, it seems that in the days of the Savior the 
common priests were accustomed to officiate at this altar 
in succession. 

God's service should be conducted according to His 
own appointment, and by those who have a preparation 
for the work. No one should go heedlessly, profanely, or 
unprepared to this solemn service. Uzziah, King of Ju- 
dah, inflated with pride and vanity by his long continued 
prosperity, felt himself above the priests, and went pro- 
fanely into the sanctuary and the golden altar with a 
censer in his hand. The priests withstood him and re- 
buked his impious act of usurpation ; and while he 
scorned them in his anger the Lord smote him with 
leprosy as he stood before the incense altar. — 2 Chron. 
xxxvi, 17. 

The golden candlestick and the altar of incense stood 
in close and intimate relation to each other. By the light 
of the one incense was offered upon the other. In after 
days John saw in his vision of heavenly things seven 
golden candlesticks, and in the midst of them one like unto 
the Son of man. He who walks among the golden can- 
dlesticks of heaven is the one by whom we can come to 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 233 

the golden altar and by whose intercession the fragrant 
perfume goes up to the highest heaven. As no strange in- 
cense was to be offered on this altar, so no strange fire was 
to be used. The fire for the incense was to be taken from 
the altar of burnt-offering in the court — the fire which 
had been kindled from heaven. 

An awful and impressive act of the severity and jus- 
tice of the Almighty, for a violation of this command, is 
recorded in the tenth chapter of Leviticus. Nadab and 
Abihu, two sons of Aaron, took each his censer 3 and in- 
stead of taking fire according to divine direction from 
the altar of the Lord, they took strange fire and went 
into the sanctuary and burned with it incense on the 
golden altar. They were exalted to higher privileges, 
but high privileges and exalted honors often bring great 
temptations and expose to great dangers. The pen of 
inspiration records the result : " There went out fire 
from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before 
the Lord." The sin was an aggravated one, and most 
fearfully and signally did the Lord manifest His dis- 
pleasure. It seemed necessary that so flagrant an act 
of disobedience, at the very commencement of this new 
dispensation, should meet with a prompt and decisive re- 
buke. With fire they sinned, and by fire they perished. 
Though God is long suffering, yet upon the daring and 
presumptuous transgressor He often visits swift destruc- 
tion. By this terrible visitation of the Almighty they were 
taught that Jehovah's commands could not be trifled 
with ; that " He would be sanctified in them that came 
nigh Him, and before all the people He would be glori- 
fied/'— Lev, x, 3. 

Immediately following this awful visitation upon the 
20 



234 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

impious sons of Aaron is the prohibition of wine and 
strong drink to the priests. "And the Lord spake unto 
Aaron, saying: Do not drink wine nor strong drink, 
thou nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the Taber- 
nacle of the Congregation, lest ye die. It shall be a stat- 
ute forever throughout your generations." — Lev. x, 3-9. 
The reason assigned for this rigid prohibition is : " That 
you may be able to put difference between holy and un- 
holy ; between clean and unclean." 

It is supposed from this prohibition, immediately fol- 
lowing the shocking death of Nadab and Abihu, that their 
flagrant act of desecration was the result of judgment 
perverted and passion inflamed by strong drink. Very 
probably such was the case, for seasons of distress and 
judgment have often been the times when the Lord gave 
new commandments to His people. Thus this season of 
judgment brought out a new precept calculated to pre- 
vent the recurrence of the offering of strange fire or any 
similar act of disobedience or will worship. 

Temperance and sobriety become all those concerned 
with the house of God. The use of intoxicating drinks 
then, as now, and now as then, depraves the heart, per- 
verts the judgment, excites the passions, and renders a 
man unable to discern between good and evil, to " put 
difference between holy and unholy." More than 
700 years after this the prophet Isaiah was inspired to 
say : " Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of 
Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower. . . . 
They all have erred through wine and through strong 
drink ; . . . they err in vision ; they stumble in 
judgment." In the temple of the Lord, which Ezekiel 
saw in his vision, of which he gives us a glowing de- 
scription, the priests were forbidden wine. Under the 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 235 

Christian dispensation, among other qualifications of a 
bishop, " they must not be given to wine." And as the 
Apostle Peter represents, and as we have before shown, 
every believer in the Christian church — the temple of the 
living God — is a truly consecrated priest of the Lord, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices, and these sacrifices are being 
continually offered, then this prohibition extends to all 
the household of faith, and is continually binding. No 
Christian can consistently with his holy profession, the 
holy duties to which he is daily called, and the holy life 
he should continually live, indulge in the use of intoxi- 
cating drinks. 

In connection with this it may be well remarked, as 
Dr. Gill has said, heathen priests, and especially among 
the Egyptains, were forbidden wine, and abstained from 
it, of whom it is said some of them never drank any ; 
others tasted but little, because it is said to hurt the 
nerves ; to fill the head or make it heavy ; to hinder in- 
vention, and excite lust. 

We can not too strongly emphasize this command of 
God for the purity of His hallowed worship. It is the 
first direct prohibition of wine drinking in the Bible, and 
the reason, as we have seen, is plainly given. Philo, who 
lived about the time of Christ, says : "Aaron was not to 
drink wine on account of four most important reasons — 
it produces hesitation and forgetfulness, sleep, and folly." 
Wine drinking is a great defilement to soul and body. 
It serves no good purpose to either. The soul is weighed 
down, the outward sense dimmed, the body enervated. 
Again we enforce the lesson before presented, quoting the 
words of another : " The true worshiper of God is now 
identical with the priest ; the repentant sinner, who is 
washed in the blood of the Lamb, is made a king and 



236 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

priest unto God." — Rev. i, 5. They have boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way which He hath consecrated for us through 
the veil. Heb. x, 19, 20 : " Ye also as lively stones are 
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up 
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God the Father." Pet. 
ii, 5 : "All worship, prayer, and praise are priestly serv- 
ices, and appertain to those who have been redeemed by 
the blood of Christ. The fervent interceding prayers of 
such ones prevail before God ; they come like sweet in- 
cense from the golden censer before the Lord. Be ye 
pure and holy that minister at the altar of prayer." 

Among heathen nations altars were often made places 
of refuge and protection for criminals. God would not 
have his altar an asylum for any such purpose. The de- 
liberate and willful murderer was to be punished with 
death, and God gave directions that he should be taken 
even from His altars that he might be slain. 

Joab, guilty of treason, and stained with the blood of 
Abner and Amasa, conscious of his deserts, fled to the 
sanctuary and laid hold upon the horns of the altar. 
Here he fancied he would find protection. But there 
the messenger and executioner of Solomon found him, 
and because he could not force him hence, he slew him 
there. God throws the shield of protection around the 
life of His creature, man. And He will not have even 
His sacred altar profaned, or its holy use perverted, by 
protecting the criminal. No sanctuary can shield him 
who has wickedly shed innocent blood ; for every unpun- 
ished murder takes away something from the security of 
every man's life. It is worthy of notice, as well as re 
membrance, that in the appointment of the law no pro- 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 237 

vision was made for any atoning sacrifice for the mur- 
derer. This may be a reason why the apostle says : 
" No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." 

At the opening of the Christian era we find this mode 
of worship remaining unchanged. The priests continued 
to minister in the temple, and the morning's and the even- 
ing's incense went up from the golden altar just as it 
had been instituted in the wilderness 1,500 years before. 
At this time the priests, who had become numerous, 
were divided into different companies or courses, each 
division in turn performing the duties of the sanctuary. 
Zacharias, performing in the order of his course, came 
into the temple to burn incense while the people stood 
praying without. Here, by the golden altar, the angel 
of the Lord met him and announced the birth of a son, 
in whose appearance many should rejoice, who should be 
great in the sight of the Lord ; who should drink neither 
wine nor strong drink ; who should be filled with the 
Holy Ghost from his birth, and whose mission it should 
be to proclaim the coming Messiah. Where should we 
expect to meet with angelic visitants, and receive divine 
communications, but at the altar of the Lord? Zacha- 
rias, the prophet, says one, was the last under the Old 
Testament that was conversant with angels ; Zachariah, 
the priest, the first under the New. 

The incense upon this altar is called the perpetual 
incense, because offered every day, and thus, as it were, 
continually renewed before the Lord ; and also because 
it was always to constitute a part of the worship of 
the people — emblem of the continual thanksgiving that 
should ascend from grateful hearts. In Rom. viii, 34, 
it is said to be offered at the right hand of God, de- 



238 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

noting honor, power, and acceptance ; and in Hebrews 
we read of a priest after the order of Melchisedek, 
made after the power of an endless life, who, because 
he continueth forever, hath an unchangeable priesthood — 
able to save to the uttermost, seeing He ever liveth to 
make intercession ; being consecrated forever. 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 239 



CHAPTER XX. 

Golden Altar — Continued. 

The company had returned from their visit to the holy 
place, and the golden altar. From the curtains of the 
Tabernacle, they were encircled by the curtains of gath- 
ering darkness. Instead of the radiance of the golden 
candlestick, reflected from golden walls, and embroidered 
tapestry, they had only their dim tapers, and humble 
tents, but still the golden symbols continued to unfold 
their lessons. 

" How impressive," said Jason, " these wonders of the 
sanctuary — the continued bread, the golden lights, the 
fragrant incense ! To what eloquent teachers we have 
been listening ! These all do bring us nearer to God- 
Have we not felt that the wilderness and the solitary 
place have been made glad? " 

" I think," said Elnathan, " we have not yet penetrated 
the full mystery of the golden altar. This altar is a 
beautiful and instructive type of Christ our great inter- 
cessor. The brazen altar was the place of atonement ; 
there the bleeding victim, consumed by fire, was a type 
of Messiah making himself an offering for sin. This golden 
altar is a type of his intercession before God. This altar 
was placed within the sanctuary ; so Christ's interces- 
sion is in heaven. It was placed before the mercy-seat, 
and the throne of God; as the high priest burned the 
fragrant spices, and the devotions of the people went up 
with it, so Christ appears in the presence of God for us. 



240 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

before the true mercy-seat, and through Him the incense 
of our worship ascends to heaven. This incense was to be 
burned continually ; Christ's intercession never ceases. 
No strange incense could be offered upon it ; none but 
Christ's can avail. The incense was to be a voluntary 
offering. Christ freely gives His services ; to Him the peo- 
ple must voluntarily come. The incense was to be 
burned only by fire taken from the altar of burnt-offer- 
ing ; Christ's intercession avails nothing only as it is 
made acceptable by the offering He made of Himself upon 
the fiery altar of the cross." 

" I have often contemplated the incense," said another, 
" not so much as a type, but as a beautiful emblem of the 
prayers of the saints. Says the Psalmist : l My prayers 
shall be set before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of 
my hands as the evening sacrifice.' John, in his vision 
upon Patmos, as he had a view of heavenly things, saw 
an angel having a golden censer, ' and there was given to 
him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers 
of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before 
the throne of God.' And again he saw the smoke of the 
incense, which came up with the prayers of the saints, 
ascend before God. So again he saw, on another occa- 
sion, the living creatures, and the four-and-twenty elders, 
fall down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and 
golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of the 
saints." — Rev. v, 3. 

" There must be a brazen altar and a priest," said I, 
"before there can be a golden altar. Many Christians 
never reach the golden altar. They have been to the 
brazen altar, they have hope in the merits of Christ, they 
will be saved ; but they fail to get those exalted views of 
Christ, His work, power and preciousness that lift them 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 241 

above doubt and anxiety — that bring them with joyful 
hearts to the altar of praise and thanksgiving. It is our 
privilege to know not only that sin has been forgiven, but 
that light and joy can be poured into the heart." 

" How beautifully," said Elnathan, " we are taught to 
look heavenward. There is no near approach to God, 
no true worship, no prevailing prayer, except that which 
is offered through the merits of the one great atoning 
sacrifice. No strange fire, no incense compounded of 
human devisings, can ascend the fragrance to heaven. 
Every desire, every impulse, every emotion, every act of 
consecration, every good deed must arise heavenward on 
the wings of faith and love and trust in Him whose in- 
tercession alone prevails." 

"Yes," said another, " not only our affections and our 
more direct acts of devotion, but every good work of our 
lives, should be a heaven-ascending fragrance. I am re- 
minded of what an ancient writer once said, alluding to 
this very thing : ' We make a perfume compounded of 
spices, when we yield a fragrance upon the altar of good 
works with the multitude of our virtues ; and this is tem- 
pered together and pure, in that we join virtue to virtue 
the purer is the incense of good works we set forth. 
AVe beat all the spices very small when wc pound our 
good deeds, as it were, in the mortar of the heart by an 
inward sifting, and go over them minutely and see if they 
be really and truly good. Thus to beat the spices to a 
powder is to rub fine our virtues by consideration, and 
to call them back to the utmost exactitude of a secret 
reviewal. Our good works are then truly pleasing in the 
sight of our Judge, when the mind bruises them small 
by a more particular examination, and, as it were, makes 
21 



242 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

a powder of the spices, that the good that is done be not 
coarse and hard ; lest if the close hand of examination 
do not bruise it fine it scatter not from itself the more 
refined odor.' " * 

" In accordance with this," said I, " one of our Bible 
commentators has said : ' The altar is not only a symbol 
of prayer, but a symbol of the Spirit of God, or rather 
that name of God in which His Spirit finds expression, 
and the act of burning incense as symbolical of the act 
of spreading abroad His name. Prayer is one of those 
devout manifestations which are required by the Al- 
mighty of His creatures. But now we have something 
more. It is the breathing forth of the life of the true 
Israelite taken as a whole — a breathing forth which dif- 
fuses a fragrance on every side, even toward the veil, 
and the immediate presence of God, and which is grate- 
ful to Him of whose enlightening and guiding influence 
it is the fruit. 

" This thought of fragrance was connected in the mind 
of Israel with the thought of life yielded up to God as 
shown by different passages in the Old Testament. A 
good or evil savor was to Israel a symbol of a good or 
godless life. When the sanctuary of God was kept con- 
stantly filled with fragrance, they beheld in this the 
sweet savor, not of prayer alone, but of that life to 
which, as a priestly nation, they were called The whole 
life of Christ was a sweet savor ; a breathing forth of de- 
votion to His Father." 

"And you might add," was the reply, " that the burn- 
ing of incense upon the golden altar has a fulfillment in 
Christ's people when they walk with God and diffuse 

* Gregory the Great. 



THE GOLDEX ALTAR. Z±6 

around them the pleasant savor of that walk, as did the 
early disciples at Jerusalem, when they continued daily 
with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from 
house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and sin- 
gleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all 
the people." — Acts ii, 47. 

" In a book of 'The Holy Vessels,'" said Elnathan, 
" I recently found a few interesting thoughts on the inti- 
mate connection of the two altars. Two altars were at- 
tached to the Tabernacle ; the altar of atonement stood 
in the court ; the golden altar of sweet incense in the 
holy place. All Israel had access to the former, the 
priests alone could approach the latter. On the one, 
death was perpetually recorded, and blood was sprinkled 
and poured out ; on the other, no sacrificial victims were 
to be offered, but the fragrance of sweet spices was con- 
tinually to ascend from thence to God. Truth connected 
with atonement for sin ; cleansing from defilement by 
means of blood, and acceptance through the death of the 
victim, were more immediately taught by the ministra- 
tions at the brazen altar ; whilst the high standing of the 
believer, his preservation in that standing so as to offer 
acceptable worship, and maintenance of communion and 
intercourse with God, are subjects more directly con- 
nected with the altar of gold ; both are inseparably linked 
together ; one follows the other and grows out of the 
other ; the incense altar owed its standing to the blood of 
atonement. — Ex. xxx, 10. It was an altar, and therefore 
had reference to and was the result of a sacrifice already 
presented, and the holy fire of which caused the sweet 
perfume to ascend, and was that which had first descended 
and consumed the victim." 

Achmed was still walking in the light of the golden 



244 

lamps, and entered with a fresh inspiration into all 
these conversations, upon the holy vessels. He had 
taken his place at the feet of Messiah, and was drink- 
ing in with eagerness new and delightful lessons of di- 
vine things. 

"Again I see," said he, " the work of Him that was 
to come — the Restorer. I look upon the incense as an 
emblem of the soul of worship. Priest and people fol- 
lowed the dictated form, but when they gathered in 
mighty concourse around the Tabernacle the real incense 
was the unseen and silent thanksgiving that went up from 
grateful and adoring hearts. The burning of the incense 
was a visible and literal act, emblematic of the devotions 
of the heart — the ascending up of the desires and affec- 
tions of the soul to the Father of all. The one is but 
the symbol ; the other the real and the spiritual. The 
one may be only the form, the mere semblance or body 
of worship ; the other is the sincere and grateful act of 
devotion ; the acceptable incense which may ascend from 
every humble heart. These emblems are opening to us 
the deep and sublime mysteries of godliness. The 
prophet Malachi, under divine inspiration, saw the coming 
time when a great revolution should take place in the 
administration of the Lord's house — the Levitical priest- 
hood abolished, and a spiritual one established in its 
place ; when carnal ordinances that could not make the 
comers perfect should no longer be used ; when Jehovah's 
worship, blessed be His holy name, should not be confined 
to a chosen few, but when, ' from the rising of the sun 
unto the going down of the same, His name should be 
great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense 
should be offered unto His name, and a pure offering.' ' 
—Mai. i, 11. 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 245 

"What reason we have to bless Jehovah God," said 
Jason, " that we can come so near Him ! That our wor- 
ship can always be acceptable. We have not a long pil- 
grimage to make to find the golden altar ; nor to explore 
the desert and the forests to gather fragrant spices to 
compound the sweet incense. Blessed be His holy name, 
that we are come to the dispensation of the spirit ! Now, 
those who have been strangers, and foreigners, are made 
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God. Now, neither on Gerizim's heights, or Zion's 
consecrated mount do men alone worship God, but the 
true worshipers can find an altar every-where from which 
the fragrant incense can ascend to the highest heavens 
perfumed by the blood of Messiah. The incense from 
the golden altar penetrates behind the veil into the holy 
of holies, symbolizing the actual penetration of prayer 
into heaven itself." 

" It was only by fire taken from the altar of atone- 
ment," said Ben Achmed, " that the sweet incense could 
ascend to heaven. When I set the golden censer upon 
the altar of my heart — whence comes the holy fire that 
will make it a sweet savor unto God? No strange fire 
will be accepted. We must first visit the altar of atone- 
ment, and from thence take our fire — forgiven, recon- 
ciled, accepted of God, and at peace with Him. The fire 
of divine love, like burning coals from the altar, kindles 
in the heart. We come from the altar of atonement to 
the altar of praise, and the sweet savor of our devotions, 
like the incense cloud, fills all the holy place, and comes 
up like an acceptable oblation before the throne, the 
mercy-seat and the Shekinah." 

" It was at the altar of atonement," said Elnathan, 
" the transgressor prepared the way for nearer access to 



246 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

God. The altar of incense marked a higher service — a 
more intimate approach to God. The question of our 
guilt must be settled at the brazen altar ; there atone- 
ment must be made and pardon found. Then we come 
to the higher service of the golden altar, and love is the 
acceptable fire kindled in the heart by the Holy Spirit of 
God." 

" How beautiful," again exclaimed Jason, " the lessons 
of His house ! A day in His courts is better than a 
thousand ! I had rather sit at the threshold of Je- 
hovah's Tabernacle than be a guest in the tents of 
wickedness." 

" Jehovah, blessed be His holy name," said Achmed, 
" has indeed led us to His holy oracle ! Blessed be King 
Messiah ! I see new light in all the sanctuary. New 
lessons come to me from the rich embroidery, and from 
all the golden vessels. These wonderful revelations of 
His house have settled the strength of my mountain, and 
my face looks into the face of God." 

" The Lord," said I, " is leading us in ways of pleas- 
antness as we have inquired in the Tabernacle of His 
honor. To-morrow we shall draw aside the inner veil r 
and stand in the holy of holies ; there more surprising 
wonders and revelations await us. I trust we shall find 
greater light and blessing as we come to the sacred ark ? 
the cherubim, and the mercy-seat." 

" Jehovah, bless d be His name," said Achmed, " is in- 
deed in His holy sanctuary ; the lights of the golden can- 
delabrum have not gone out, nor the fragrant incense 
failed from the golden altar. We need no longer seek 
Sabean spices, or glean in Idumea's aromatic groves. 
The glory of hidden truth is unfolded, and the devout 
heart exhales the acceptable incense." 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 247 



a 



It is meet," said I, " this air once fragrant with the 
incense of the golden altar should be made fragrant with 
the incense of adoring hearts. As the Rabbi found light 
and blessing beneath the golden candelabrum, I trust He 
will now be prepared to lead us in our devotions at the 
golden altar." 

Prayer of Achmed at the Golden Altar. 

How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, Lord, Jehovah of 
Hosts ! We have seen the beauty of the Lord as we 
have walked in Thy courts, and Thou hast made the place 
to us a pavilion of glory. Hear us, Jehovah, from 
Thy high places, and let Thy truth drop as the honey- 
comb. We stand where Thy lightnings shot out truth, 
and the mountains trembled before Thee, and Israel saw 
Thy glory. Our souls have longed for Thy dwellings, 
and our hearts have cried out for Thy revelations. We 
come to Thy holy oracles, and Thou dost make us glad 
with exceeding iov. We have seen Meshiah in the bread 
of memorial, and in the sevenfold glory of the perpetual 
lights. Now, Jehovah, we come to Thy fragrant altar, 
bearing the sweet spices and the burning coals of the 
golden censer. We stand and worship where the fumes 
of the sacred incense mingled with the overshadowing 
cloud, and went up, as on angel wings, a sweet savor unto 
Thy throne. 

How beautiful upon the mountains the feet of Him who 
came publishing peace ; before whom the heavens gave 
light, and the angels shouted the glory. Meshiah girt 
His loins and descended, and the earth received her King. 
His robes dyed in blood were like him who treads the 
vintage. There was a handful of corn upon the high 
places of Zion, and the stalks thereof have become like 



248 HAM-MISHKAN, THE AVONDERFUL TENT. 

palm trees, and the fruits shake like Lebanon. It was 
El-Elohel-Israel visiting His people, and fulfilling the 
promise. It was the high and lofty One tabernacling 
among men ; the glory of the revelation of the Highest. 
How goodly are thy tents, Jacob, and thy Tabernacle, 
Israel ! Jehovah, Thou dost make us glad for the 
living Shekinah ; the perpetual atonement; the everlast- 
ing priesthood ; the ceaseless intercession ! Thou dost 
bring Thy sons from afar, and Thy daughters from the 
ends of the earth, and not Israel only, but the nations re- 
joice in Thee ; for Thou hast made the boundaries of Thy 
habitation measure the whole world. Our ears once 
closed, hear with rejoicing the footsteps of Him who 
comes with retinues of angels. Our eyes once blinded 
do see the King in His glory, whose outstretched hand 
opens to all people the gates of life. We see Him now a 
mighty Prince in the house of Jacob — the Anointed — 
the Gatherer of nations — the promised Meshiah — King in 
Zion. The work of righteousness is peace, and peace 
like a river makes deep channels in our hearts and plows 
through all the earth. Help us, Jehovah, to bring to 
this tower of perfumes the fragrant spices of faith, of 
love, of patience, purity, and obedience, compounded 
with a skill inspired of heaven, and kindled by fire that 
comes down from above, that all may ascend a sweet 
savor unto Jehovah — a perpetual incense. Then shall w T e 
enjoy the fullness of Thy benediction here, and the richer 
visions of Thy glory hereafter. Holy Lord God of Sab- 
baoth, be with and grant us acceptance at Thine altars, 
that we may stand justified before Thee through the 
blood of the everlasting atonement. And when Thou 
dost recall us from this world, bring us to the brighter 
splendors of Thine eternal temple, where no night shall 



THE GOLDEN ALTAR. 249 

overtake us ; where the Lord God and the Lamb shall emit 
their radiant glory, and the redeemed multitudes from all 
nations, tribes, and kingdoms shall shout Thy praise. 
Blessed art Thou, Lord God of hosts, on earth, and in 
heaven, in all time, and throughout eternity. Amen. 



250 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Burning Bush — Shekinah — The Symbolic Glory 

Cloud. 

The day had been set apart for a visit to the holy place, 
and among the sacred symbols behind the inner veil. A 
prefatory walk was first proposed, and the party passed 
through the garden of the convent, and then within the 
walls of the inclosure, pausing for a moment to refresh 
themselves at the well of Jethro. From this, a few rods 
brought them into the Church of the Transfiguration, 
where their attention was called to the quaint and elabo- 
rate workmanship of the interior — the tessellated pave- 
ment ; the altar and altar screen, embellished with gold ; 
and, more than all, to the rich and elaborate mosaic of 
the transfiguration of Christ that covered the vaulted 
roof of the chancel, from which the church is named. A 
door in the rear opened into the Chapel of the Burning 
Bush, said to cover the spot where this wonderful phe- 
nomena arrested the attention of Moses. Though they 
had little or no confidence in the traditions that thus 
■definitely located these so-called holy places, still they 
almost felt they were on holy ground ; for, if not in this 
definite place, it must have been in the midst of this 
mountain scenery, and among these solitudes and lonely 
retreats, Moses lived in communion with Grod, learning 
lessons the populous city and the court of Pharaoh could 
never teach. Here, too, he received that high commission 



THE BURNINCx BUSH, ETC. 251 

that sent him back to the home of his early life for the 
emancipation of his people. 

In this strange retreat the company seemed disposed 
to linger. Seating themselves upon the steps of the 
altar, they weue soon engaged in an animated conversa- 
tion upon the remarkable events for which the chapel was 
designed as a memorial. 

" What a privilege," said Achmed, " to wander in these 
footsteps of Moses, the man of God, and in the pathway 
of his people, where neither orbs, nor suns, nor stars 
were Jehovah' s luminaries, but where the burning Shekinali 
moved in resplendent halos of glory. Here my soul has 
been lifted into holier communion with God, and I often 
feel as though I could kiss the dust of these mountain 
pathways. The very rocks become stones of memorial, 
and I feel in my inmost soul that the angels have not for- 
gotten or forsaken the highways by which they went 
thither among the oracles of God." 

"What a change," said I, " for Moses, from the splen- 
dors of the court of the most renowned kingdom of earth,, 
to a shepherd's life among these desert mountains ! How 
often in retirement and obscurity the foundation is laid 
for the most renowned achievements of life ! That was 
a marvelous interview to which Jehovah called him when 
he arrested his attention by the burning bush !" 

" I will repeat," said the Rabbi, " from the Targum of 
Palestine : ' Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his 
father-in-law, the Rabbi of Midian ; and he led the flock 
to a pleasant place of pasturage, which is behind the 
desert, and had come to the mountain on which was re- 
vealed the glory of the Lord, even Horeb. And Zag- 
nugael, the angel of the Lord, appeared do him in a flame 
of fire in the midst of the bush. And he gazed, and be- 



252 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

hold the bush burned with fire, jet the bush was neither 
burned nor consumed with fire. And Mosheh said I will 
turn aside now and consider this great sight why the 
bush is not burned. . . . The Lord called to him 
from the midst of the bush and said : Mosheh, Mosheh ! 
And he said behold me ! And Mosheh covered his face, 
for he was afraid to look upon the height of the glory of 
the Shekinah of the Lord.' " 

" This bush has often seemed to me," continued Ach- 
med, " an emblem of Israel in Mizraim. The bondage, 
the tyranny, the oppression, the persecution, burned like 
fire about them ; one would suppose they would have 
been utterly destroyed. They burned, yet were not con- 
sumed — the angel of Jehovah was in the midst of the 
bush." 

"And our Messiah," said I, " was like the burning 
bush. He stood in the midst of the fierce fires of perse- 
secution — the bush burned, but was not consumed." 

" This strange phenomenon," says one, " seems to me to 
he closely allied to the pillar of cloud and fire that sub- 
sequently became so conspicuous along the pathway of 
Israel, and the medium of Jehovah's revelations to the 
redeemed people. As we are about to visit the inner 
sanctuary, where that strange exhibition of the power 
and glory of Jehovah tabernacled over the wings of the 
cherubim, it may be well to know in advance something 
more of this mysterious visitant." 

" This peculiar manifestation of the divine presence," 
said Rabbi Ben Achmed, " is called by our people the 
.Shekinah. The name is not found in the writings of 
Mosheh, but is used in the works of the later Rabbins. 
'The term is derived from shakan — to dwell, dwell in, or 
inhabit. The allusion refers more particularly to a dwell- 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 253 

ing in tents or tabernacles, as is common among an 
itinerant or nomadic people. It is particularly applied 
to this cloud in the wilderness, in which Jehovah was en- 
shrined or dwelt. It appeared usually in the shape of a 
cloud, sometimes spreading out over the camp ; some- 
times erect like a pillar ; sometimes breaking out into a 
bright or refulgent fire. Ordinarily the cloud only was 
seen ; on special occasions the inner glory of the cloud 
seemed to break forth with impressive and astonishing 
manifestations. 

" The term Shekinah was subsequently used to ex- 
press all those manifestations by which the special pres- 
ence of Jehovah was announced. The Shekinah was the 
most sensible token of Jehovah among the Hebrews. By 
it the rabbis seem to have understood the spiritual pres- 
ence and power of the Eternal One. This Shekinah they 
claim distinguished Israel from all other people. In 
allusion to its appearance in the wilderness our Targum 
says : i I will appoint my word there unto the sons of 
Israel ; with my glory will I sanctify, and I will cause 
my Shekinah to dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel/ 
So this luminous cloud of the desert was looked upon as the 
dwelling or local habitation of Jehovah ; commonly ex- 
plained in our rabbinical writings of the divine glory in 
its active or external manifestations." 

" We are told," said I, " the Angel of the Lord ap- 
peared to Moses in the burning bush. So it was said to 
Moses, go lead this people unto the place of which I have 
spoken unto thee. Then, again, the cloud is not only 
called the Angel, but the face of Jehovah ; face being 
used in the sense of aspect or expression, as in Num- 
bers, xiv, 1 : ' They have heard that Thou, Lord, art 



254 HAM-MLSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

among this people, and that Thou art seen face to face, 
and Thy cloud standeth over them.' " 

" Wonderful cloud," said Jason, " dwelling place of 
the Eternal One ! The assurance of the actual presence 
of Jehovah among His people. Well has one said : ' This 
pillar of cloud that balances itself in mid air, unsup- 
ported by the earth and unshaken by the winds of heaven, 
serves well to mark the presence of Him who is inde- 
pendent of the laws of nature.' " 

" We first read of this remarkable manifestation of the 
Divine presence," said Elnathan, " in Exodus xiii, 21. 
Upon the departure of the children of Israel from 
Egypt, they took their way toward the wilderness of the 
Red Sea. As long as they were in the open country 
they had a plain way, and needed no guide ; but when 
they came into the wilderness, where their course was 
more doubtful, ' the Lord went before them by day in a 
pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire to give 
them light.' Not only a great army, but with them a 
promiscuous multitude of people were to be led through 
a pathless desert; some large and general signal was 
necessary to direct the line of march. *Great beacon 
lights were used by generals of armies for such purposes. 
This mighty beacon provided by Jehovah was a strange 
and marvelous guide ! No nation had ever before 
inarched under such a standard — a signal not raised from 
earth, but hung out from the heavens — a phenomenon 
more wonderful than any other that accompanied their 
wilderness sojourn." 

u The terms Agent, Messenger, Angel of God," said 
I, " are frequently used when speaking of the burning 
Ibush ; the same terms are applied to the pillar of fire. 
The meaning of all is, that the Lord Jehovah was present 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 2o<> 

by a strange and mysterious agency. "Whatever this 
cloud may have been, it certainly seems to have en- 
shrined One not only endowed with divine intelligence, 
but invested with divine attributes. Thus it was not- 
only called the Angel of the Lord, the Angel of His 
presence, but the Lord Jehovah Himself. Yet the ob- 
ject seen was not Jehovah in His essence — for God is a 
spirit incorporeal, immaterial. . No one hath seen God at 
any time — He could not be an object of corporeal vision. 
The cloud was the medium or symbol through which He 
manifested His presence in the camp of Israel. It was 
something that could be seen, covering the invisible and 
unseen. By this we do not mean that God was any more 
present in this place, or in the cloud, than in any other 
place ; it is not limiting or circumscribing Deity or His 
infinity. When the cloud hung over the camp of Israel 
Jehovah was still alike present every-where, but here He 
gave His presence a special significancy. This miracu- 
lous phenomenon He made a medium for the manifes- 
tations of His will. The outward manifestation was 
not Jehovah, but the Angel or Messenger through which 
He spake." 

" This cloud," said another, " was a monitor and guide. 
It regulated all the movements of the camp of Israel. 
The moving of the cloud was a signal for marching ; its 
standing still an order for encampment. Of this we have 
a particular account in the ninth chapter of Numbers. 
On the day that the Tabernacle was reared up, the cloud 
covered the Tabernacle ; and at even there was upon it 
as it were the appearance of fire until the morning. So 
it was always — the cloud covered it by day, and the ap- 
pearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was 
taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the chil- 



256 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

dren of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the 
cloud abode the children of Israel pitched their tents. 
At this strange signal of the Lord they journeyed ; in 
obedience to this signal they rested. As long as the 
cloud abode upon the Tabernacle, they rested in their 
tents. And it came to pass that, when the ark set for- 
ward, Moses said : ' Rise up Lord, and let Thine enemies 
be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before 
Thee.' And when it rested he said : ' Return, Lord, 
unto the many thousands of Israel.' One author justly 
says : ' The whole tenor of the narrative seems to indi- 
cate that every one of the congregation looked upon this 
pillar of cloud as something awful and tremendous, and 
the person residing therein as above the rank and dignity 
of any created essence.' ' 

" This remarkable cloud, as we have seen," said Ben 
Achmed, " is called the Angel of Jehovah. It was em- 
phatically Jehovah's presence in the camp of Israel. It 
was to the people the mouth of the Word of the Lord — 
Jehovah's voice declaring the will of heaven — an abiding 
display of the divine majesty, power and glory. Ama- 
lek, Edom and Moab saw it, and the dwellers in the 
Kenaanean land trembled. All the gods of Egypt had 
been confounded, and the Cloud was the triumphal ban- 
ner of victory ! Night and day it hung over the camp — 
sleepless and unwearied sentinel of heaven — joyous bea- 
con light to the many thousands of Israel ! It was a 
cloud no heat could scatter, no wind dissipate. It came 
when first it was needed ; it did not leave them through 
all the perils of the way. It was an unfailing guide to 
the land of promise and of rest." 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 257 

The Cloud a Type of Messiah. 

" In all these visible and outward manifestations," 
said Elnathan, tw were enshrined impressive and instruct- 
ive spiritual lessons. They are the enigmas of the 
spirit for the solution of which we should search as for 
hidden treasures. Here I think we find a type of Him — 
the Word made flesh — in whom dwelleth all the fullness 
of God." 

" I have examined this," said another, " and to me it is 
clear that Ben Achmed's people under the Old Testament 
looked for a manifestation of the Shekinah at the coming 
of the Messiah. To them He was the Angel Jehovah — 
the Word — and they believed this Angel Jehovah to be 
the promised One, the Messiah who was to become in- 
carnate. Of His coming Malachi speaks in an unmis- 
takable promise : ' Behold I will send my messenger, and 
he shall prepare the way before me ; and the Lord whom 
ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the angel 
of the covenant whom ye delight in." " * 

" The Hebrew darbar" said Ben Achmed, " answers 
to the Chaldee memra, the logos of the Greeks — the Word 
or Redeemer. The term Word of the Lord early came 
into use among the Hebrews, and was used by the an- 
cient rabbis, and in the writings of Philo, to express the 
manifestations or declared will of Jehovah, and some- 
times for Jehovah Himself. What was done by His Word 
was the same as done by Himself. Thus in Ex. xx, 19, 
the Targum reads : ' Let not the Word from before the 
Lord speak with us, lest we die.' So Lev. xxvi, 12, is 
paraphrased by the Targum : ' I will cause the glory of 

* See more of this in Frey's Joseph and Benjamin, Vol. 2, page 
156; also Lord's Messiah. 

22 



258 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

My Shekinah to dwell among you, and My Word shall be 
your God, the Redeemer.' Again, Deut. xxvi, 17, is 
rendered in the Jerusalem Targum : ' Ye have made the 
Word of the Lord king over you this day, that he may 
be your God.' In Num. xxi, 15, it is said : ' That the 
people imagined in their hearts, and spake against the 
Word of the Lord, and contended against Mosheh.' In 
Is. lxiii, 17-10, the Targum of Jonathan recognizes an 
identity of persons in the Angel, the Redeemer, the 
Memra, and Jehovah : ' I will remember the kindness of 
the Lord, and the praise of the Lord, . . . for they 
are my people, saith the Lord, children who do not lie, 
and His Memra was their Redeemer. Every time that 
they sinned before Him so that He might have brought 
tribulation upon them, He did not afflict them, and 
the angel sent from His presence redeemed them, . . . 
but they would not obey, so His Memra became their 
enemy and fought against them.' " 

" Thank you," continued Elnathan, " for these quota- 
tions ; they help me in the thought I wish to express. 
Literally, or in common speech, the ivord is the interpre- 
tation or outward expression of the mind ; so this cloud 
was the Word of God — the expression or revelation of 
the mind of Jehovah to His people. The cloud in its 
different aspects was the utterance of the mind of God, 
and was the Word of God. In one aspect or sense the 
cloud was God ; in another it was the Word of God — the 
medium of His delared will — yet both were one. There 
was, to be sure, in some sort, a distinction between the 
hidden One no one could see, and the manifest expres- 
sion that was seen, yet both were one. 

" In accordance with this the Apostle John in com- 
mencing his gospel was addressing those who were 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 259 

familiar with these forms of expression, and well under- 
stood their meaning. So he announces the Messiah un- 
der the appellation of the Word of God : ' In the be- 
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word Avas God. And the Word was made flesh, and 
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.' As the 
spoken word is the offspring of the mind, or begotten 
by the mind, and is thus the child or son of the mind, 
and really one with the mind; so the cloud was the 
Word of God, and begotten or born of God, and one with 
God ; so Christ was the real, the true Word, begotten and 
born of God, and was the only begotten, and one with God. 

" Thus we have in the cloud a striking and impressive 
type of Him who came into the world, the express 
image of the Father, in whom dwells all the fullness of 
God — the only begotten Son — full of grace and truth. As 
the Eternal one was in the Cloud, so was the Memra — 
the word of the Lord — in the cloud ; and both were one ; 
so in the Divine Son — the true Word — was the One Eter- 
nal God manifest in the cloud of the flesh, and He who 
manifested and He who was manifest were both one. 

" In saying that the Word was made flesh, we do not 
mean to say that God was made flesh, any more than 
we mean to say that God was made cloud or fire. As the 
cloud was not God but God was in the cloud ; so the man 
was not God but God was in the man — the human nature 
was the cloud that enshrined him. God was in Christ 
for the manifestations of His will to the world. As we 
have seen in human relations the spoken word — the utter- 
ance — is the image or offspring of the mind, and in one 
sense one with the mind, though in another distinguished 
from it ; so Messiah is the Word of God, for he is the ut- 
terance of God. Jesus Messiah was the Word before he 



260 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

was made man. He tells His disciples that He proceeded 
and came forth from God. John iii, 42. 

" He was the only begotten, for there could be but one, 
for Jehovah is unchangeable, and must ever be true to 
His immutable nature — must ever speak the same thing. 
The revelation or declaration of Himself in Christ Jesus 
the Word was His ' eternal purpose ; ' the purpose exist- 
ing coeval with Himself. Eph. iii, 11. In this the Word 
existed coeval with the Father, and though begotten of 
Him, was in the beginning with Him. Thus the Word 
was before all (created) things, and by Him or through 
Him all things were made. Jno. i, 2, 3. In accordance 
with this, the Word may be said to be the eternal Son of 
the eternal Father. Thus it is said the only begotten 
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father He hath declared 
Him. Jno. i, 18. So it is said in the first epistle of 
John i, 1-3 : ' That which was from the beginning which 
we have heard ; which we have seen with our eyes ; 
which we have looked upon, and our hands have 
handled of the Word of life (for the life was manifested, 
and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you 
that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was 
manifested unto us).' This eternal life was the revelation 
of the Word ; God manifest in the flesh. The eternal life 
was in the bosom of the Father, and was manifested unto 
the world. Before He was manifest to the world, He was 
in the bosom of the Father. He was the image of the invisi- 
ble God, and by Him all things were made. Col. i, 15. 
There could be but one, for God is one and unchangeable, 
and all that proceeds from Him must be like Him, the im- 
age of the invisible God, stamped with the imprint of His 
eternal, unchangeable perfections. 2 Cor. v, 19. 

"As the Cloud or Word in the wilderness claimed the at- 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 261 

tributes of Jehovah, so the Word made flesh claimed the 
same mighty prerogatives. As in the wilderness Jeho- 
vah sometimes brake through the cloud, and the glory ap- 
peared, so the Deity of Christ sometimes brake through 
His humanity. As a man carries a dark lantern, so Christ 
carried His divinity. When it became necessary, the veil 
was lifted, and the Deity flashed out in some act of 
omniscience or omnipotence as Jehovah brake through 
the cloud in the wilderness, then all was dark again — the 
cloud of humanity only was seen. 

"As in the wilderness, God the Father, could not be 
seen, but the cloud declared His presence ; so could the 
Son — the Word — say, ' no man hath seen God at any 
time ; the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the 
Father He hath declared Him.' Thus we see in Messiah 
the real pillar of cloud ; the true light that lighteth every 
man that cometh into the world. The cloud — the Sheki- 
nah of the wilderness, and the man, the Shekinah of Ju- 
dea, were the same. There he was arrayed in a garment 
of light and fire ; here with a garment of flesh ; yet in 
both he came a guide and a light unto the world." 

" In accordance with this," said Ben Achmed, " and in 
confirmation of what has been said of the expectation of 
my people of the return of the Shekinah in the days of 
the promised Messiah, where Haggai, i, 8, says, " build 
the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and will be 
glorified, saith the Lord,' is paraphrased in the Targum : 
1 I will cause my Shekinah to dwell in it in glory.' In 
Ezekiel, ii, 10, ' Lo I come and will dwell in the midst of 
thee, saith the Lord,' is paraphrased, i I will be revealed, 
and I will cause my Shekinah to dwell in the midst of 
thee.' And viii, 8, ' I am returned unto Zion, and will 
dwell in the midst of Jerusalem,' is made to read, ' I will 



262 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

cause my Shekinah to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.' 
So Ezk. xliii, 7-9, in his vision of the return of the 
glory of the temple, Jonathan makes it read, ' Son of 
man, this is the house of the throne of my glory, and this 
is the place of the house of the dwelling of my Shekinah, 
where I will make my Shekinah dwell in the midst of the 
children of Israel forever.' But Isaiah in your own 
translation, iv, 5, where a return of the pillar of cloud by 
day, and of fire by night is foretold, speaks directly by 
Divine inspiration, ' For the Lord will create upon every 
dwelling place upon Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, 
a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flame of 
fire by night ; and over all the glory shall be a defense.' 
And again where Isaiah, xxviii, 5, says, ' In that day shall 
Jehovah of hosts be for a crown of glory.' The Targum 
of Jonathan reads, ' In that day shall the Messiah of Je- 
hovah of hosts be for a crown of glory." And again 
Hosea, iv, 9, he makes read, ' Jehovah will receive the 
prayer of Israel by His Word, and have mercy upon them, 
and will make them by His Word like a beautiful fir tree.' 
And Jeremiah, xxix, 14, ' I will be sought by you in My 
Word, and I will be inquired of by you through My 
Word.' It seems to be an established doctrine of the 
ancient Hebrew church that the Messiah and the Word 
were the same person, and the Targums apply to both 
the expected Messiah and the Word the characteristics 
and the attributes of Jehovah." 

" In this place," said one, in response, " Jehovah dwelt 
among His people in the cloud of glory. This cloud was 
but the shadow of a more marvelous manifestation, the 
revelation of a brighter glory to come. When at last 
the time was fulfilled, the promised Word came not unex- 
pected or unheralded. Angels announced His advent; 



THE BUTIXIXG BUSH, ETC. 263 

learned scribes were able to inform the king in what city 
He would appear ; eastern Magi sought and were able to 
find Him ; and when the child was brought into the temple, 
the devout Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Is- 
rael, and instructed by the Holy Ghost took the child in 
his arms and blessed God. ' Mine eyes have seen Thy 
salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all 
peoples ; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of 
Thy people Israel.' " 

" If such is the doctrine of the Word," said I, address- 
ing the Rabbi, " and such the mode of Jehovah's mani- 
festation, why should thy people stumble at our represent- 
ations of the Deity ? When we speak of God the 
Father, God the Word or Son, and the Holy Ghost, they 
accuse us of destroying the unity of God — of making 
three Gods instead of one. They mistake. We have no 
more three Gods than the people that gathered and wor- 
shiped about this mount." 

" My people," replied the Rabbi, " have ever been 
jealous of the honor of Jehovah. They could by no 
means be induced to give up the unity of God. ' Sher- 
mong yisroile adonai elohinoo adonai achod' — hear, 
Israel, the Lord our God the eternal is a unity — is the 
dying exclamation of every Jew, and if he becomes too 
weak to say it himself, his friends around his dying bed 
repeat it for him." 

" Nor do we ask you to give up that essential article of 
your faith. It was that great foundation truth of your 
fathers, that stood like a rock of the ocean, defying all 
the waves of idolatry. It was Israel's faith and Israel's 
shield. It is the unchangeable banner hung out from the 
heavens, and stamped upon the earth — God is one — and 
the Christian will rally with the Jew to its defence." 



264 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

" I like," interrupted one of the company, " your allu- 
sion to the unity of Jehovah — God is one — but while Ave 
speak of the Father and the Word, may we not look upon 
the cloud, if not as a type, at least as a beautiful and ex- 
pressive emblem of the Holy Spirit ? " 

" There seems," said I, still addressing myself to the 
Rabbi, " a threefold representation, or manifestation of 
the Deity in the Old Testament as well as in the New — 
the Almighty, the ineffable Jehovah, the self-existent cre- 
ative power, whom none could see, whom none could com- 
prehend, holding back the face of His throne and veiling 
it in mystery. Then the Memra, the Word, the Angel 
of the Lord, the Shekinah, the embodied form, adapting 
Himself to man's nature and capacity, and holding com- 
munion with him as with Moses in the bush, or with the 
people from the fiery cloud. Then again, by the silent, 
unseen, all-pervading influence of His Holy Spirit, speak 
into the very souls of men ; as says David, i the Spirit of 
the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue ;' 
that Spirit — the mighty rooach — by which in them orning 
of creation Jehovah moved upon the face of the waters, 
and out of chaos made light, order and beauty ; that 
Spirit, by which, as Job says, ' He garnished the heavens ; 
that Spirit by which He came upon His servants of old, 
and moved them to mighty deeds ; that spake by His serv- 
ants the prophets, revealing hidden mysteries to come. 
In His omnipotence enthroned ; by His Memra, pillar of 
cloud, or Shekinah, He spake ; by His Spirit He worked. 
It was Jehovah, All-wise, All-powerful — creator and up- 
holder of all ; it was God, by the secret, silent, all-per- 
vading influences of His Spirit, it was God in the open 
manifestation of Himself in the cloud and fire and hu- 
man flesh ; it was God in mysterious, unseen agency. 



TIIE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 265 

Yet while the manifestations employed, and the language 
used imply plurality, there is unity — there is but one 
mind — one God — these three are One ! " 

kk The Memra or Word was made flesh and tabernacled, 
shekinized among us, and men beheld His glory. He said, 
4 as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world/ 
"When His earthly mission was fulfilled, He said to His 
disciples : ' I return whence I came, to My Father, and 
your Father ; but if I go away I will send you the Com- 
forter, the Holy Ghost, to abide with you forever. And 
when He is come He will convince the world of sin and 
of righteousness, and of judgment. He shall testify of 
me, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever 
I have spoken unto you. But tarry ye at Jerusalem until 
ye be endowed with power from on high.' 

" They had not long to wait, and the waiting was in 
prayer and faith. At the feast of Pentecost, while the 
multitudes of your brethren were assembled at Mount 
Zion, the promise was fulfilled ; the Spirit came like a 
rushing mighty wind, and filled all the house. It was 
like the return of the fire and cloud of the wilderness. 
It sat upon them like cloven tongues, or lambent flames 
of fire. The astonished multitudes heard the declaration 
of the new tidings, and thousands believed in the Mes- 
siah. The coming of this Spirit was the visitation of 
God — Bathkol coming again to Jerusalem. It was the 
fulfillment of the promise of which we have spoken — God 
returned unto Zion, and causing His Shekinah to dwell 
in the midst of Jerusalem. It was the glory of which 
Isaiah spake ; that God would kindle upon the dwelling 
places of Zion, and upon her assemblies — a glory which 
came to all, and which is still with us like the glory cloud 
23 



266 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

of the wilderness, over all the spiritual assemblies of Je- 
hovah. It gives us light, it defends and guides and com- 
forts. In unison with this, one has aptly said : i Christ 
was the Word of God ; but the Spirit was the Word of 
God — Christ was the Word manifested in the flesh — the 
Spirit was the Word manifested to the flesh. At the con- 
secration of the Tabernacle the cloud descended and took 
possession of the place ; at the beginning of the gospel 
the Spirit descended and took possession — hence the 
Spirit is the guide — the pillar of cloud to the church.'* 
And so I say again, whether it is God the Father en- 
throned in high heaven, or the Memra — Shekinah — the 
Word made flesh ; or the silent, unseen, all-pervading 
influences of the Holy Spirit speaking to the inmost 
soul — these three are one — one God over all blessed 
forever. 

" I say again on this great fundamental truth — the 
unity of God — rests the whole structure of our holy re- 
ligion. The New Testament was not an afterthought — 
not a supplemental building attached to the great temple 
of your fathers. It was all included in the original design 
— a part of the same great temple of Jehovah, and its 
crowning glory as it rises in amplitude and grandeur. 
One mind has planned ; one hand has guided ; one All- 
wise Power controlled, from Eden to Moses, from Moses 
to Calvary, and will from Calvary till the great top-stone 
is laid in the magnificent structure — until its glory 
shall fill the whole earth, and the nations shall gather 
into it." 

" God is one," said Ben Achmed. 

" Yes, God is one, and God is great, and God is good. 

^"Jeremy Taylor. 



etc. 267 

From beneath the cloud of glory comes the gentle whis- 
perings of the guiding, comforting Spirit — a still small 
voice it may be, but like a blazing lamp along our path- 
way." 

" How clearly," responded the Rabbi, " from the open- 
ing cloud the beautiful revelations of the living Jehovah 
are unfolded. The light of the golden candelabrum 
shines brighter and brighter — a radiance out of darkness 
that reaches my inmost soul. I see in Jesus the Messiah, 
the brightness of the Father's glory — the voice of the 
"Word is sounding in majesty through the world. God is 
in Meshiah for the reconciliation of men — the Holy 
Spirit is like Meshiah's continued life. Lord my 
God, my heart cries out from its depths for Thy won- 
drous revelations ! The life of the Three all blend in one, 
and the power from all flows like life-blood through my 
soul." 

" Jehovah, in His adorable goodness," said I, " is ever 
ready to accommodate Himself to our necessities and 
capacities. Here He gave His people the pillar of cloud 
and fire, the Tabernacle and all its appointments — the 
blood-speaking altars and mercy-seat ; and through these 
they realized a nearness of access to God. Jehovah, as 
one says, became to them a sort of personality — an in- 
carnation. He spake to them, and they heard His voice. 
When the mission of these things was fulfilled, and they 
passed away, Jehovah still answered the yearnings of the 
human soul for some personal or tangible medium of 
communication with Him. Then the Word was made 
flesh and dwelt among us — ' a body hast thou prepared 
me.' We listen not merely to the written word, and to 
the utterances of the prophets, we come to a living per- 
sonality — the Messiah — the Word made flesh ; we listen to 



268 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Him as the voice of God. These appointments by the 
ministration of Moses — all these rituals of the Taber- 
nacle — foretold an incarnation clearer than all the revela- 
tions of patriarchs and prophets. God, who at sundry 
times and in many ways spake in times past unto the 
fathers, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His 
Son. Through Him we have access to the Father ; He 
is the oracle, and as we listen we recognize the voice of 
God." 

" The dispensation of the Father, the dispensation of 
the Son, the dispensation of the Spirit," said Jason, " how 
blessed ! how glorious ! God is still with His people 
a pillar of cloud and light for all. The Apostle Paul 
contrasted the blessings and privileges of the dispensa- 
tion of the Spirit with the ordinances of the law given at 
this Mount Sinai. These had become to him as weak 
and beggarly elements, to which he was in bondage. 
The revelations of Messiah swept them away, and in the 
gospel he found deliverance. The glory of the former 
dispensation to him had no longer any brightness by 
reason of the glory that excelled. He found a way 
through the rent veil into the true Tabernacle, the real 
temple of the living God, built up of living stones on 
Messiah, the living foundation, from whom the streams 
of spiritual vigor flow through all the building. Here 
he found that the true cloud, the real Shekinah, was the 
indwelling of the Holy Ghost." 

" In this wilderness," said Elnathan, " the Eternal 
One came down and touched the earth ; in Judea the 
heavens were bowed down, and the earth lifted up, and 
God and man came together. Why should men wonder 
that we call the Word God ? When Jesus speaks it is 



THE BURNING BUSH, ETC. 269 

the voice of God ; when Jesus works it is the sweep of 
the arm of omnipotence ! Blessed lessons ! Truly the 
Cloud and the Bush have spoken. But we are to visit 
the holy of holies ; there we shall again stand under the 
cloud as it rests on the golden throne of the cherubim." 



270 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The Inner Veil. 

The Tabernacle, as we have seen, was divided into two 
parts — the Holy and the Holy of Holies, or Sanctum and 
Sanctum Sanctorum — Ha-kodesh and Ha-ka-da-shim. The 
proportions of the division are not stated. One-third of 
the structure is supposed to have been set apart for the 
most holy place, as subsequently in the temple, mak- 
ing the inner sanctuary of equal dimensions every way, 
the height, length, and breadth, each ten cubits. 

For the division four pillars of acacia wood, overlaid 
with pure gold, were set upon four foundations of silver. 
Over these pillars was a golden cornice, answering in 
richness and beauty to the other workmanship of the in- 
terior. On these pillars of the division, suspended from 
golden hooks, was the magnificent veil — emphatically 
The Veil — that concealed the holy of holies and its sa- 
cred deposits from all human gaze. The outer veil was 
ma-sak, a hanging ; the inner one pa-ro-Jceth, a sepa- 
ration. 

Some think the two veils were of the same material 
and workmanship. The pillars of the entrance of the 
holy place stood on foundations of brass ; the pillars of 
the most holy place stood on silver, and this veil was 
probably of more beautiful and costly workmanship. 
This would serve to impress the mind with the superior 
dignity and sacredness of the inner sanctuary. 

This veil, in the tenth chapter of Hebrews, is made a 



THE INNER VEIL. 271 

type of the flesh or body of Christ ; thus, when His cruci- 
fied body was torn on the cross, this veil, then of the 
temple, was torn in the midst from top to bottom. This 
veil represented the separation between man and God, 
or between earth and heaven, and could only be removed 
by the blood of Christ. So the blessed hope of the 
Christian is represented as reaching to that within the 
veil; that is, into heaven itself, where Christ, the fore- 
runner, has now entered. 

Dr. Gill sees in this veil, not a type, we suppose, but 
an emblem of many of the characteristics of the Savior ; 
its being made of fine linen denotes the purity of His 
nature, life, and righteousness ; of twined linen His 
strength, courage, and steadfastness ; of blue, purple, 
and scarlet, the several graces of the spirit with which 
His human nature was adorned, His flowing zeal for His 
Father's glory and the good of His people, His bloody 
wounds, suffering, and death, the dignity of His person, 
and His glorious exaltation — purple and scarlet being the 
colors worn by kings. 

As the company approached this royal hanging, it was 
with a deeper feeling of awe and reverence than they 
had felt in any other part of the court of the holy place. 
They seemed to be coming 'nearer the more immediate 
presence of Jehovah. 

" Standing before this veil," said one, " we have some 
lessons to learn before we pass behind it. Beautiful to 
the eye, costly in material, rich in colors, through this is 
the access to the high throne of God. If these curtains 
are glorious, how much greater the glories they con- 
ceal ! " 

"Behind this veil," said Ben Achmed, "Jehovah, 



272 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

blessed be His name, was enshrined upon a throne of 
gold. It was a point of etiquette among ancient sover- 
eigns, and is so among some Orientals at the present 
time, not to vouchsafe the privilege of too near an ap- 
proach to their persons, unless it be their, ministers, fa- 
vorites, or waiting attendants. Seated upon a throne 
canopied with curtains, they kept themselves in seclu- 
sion, thinking by this to secure greater respect and rev- 
erence from their subjects. So here the people were 
taught to reverence Jehovah — they must not rush heed- 
lessly or profanely into His presence." 

"Here," said another, "the officiating priest in the 
holy place came near the throne. Moses was directed 
to set the golden altar before the veil; and when the 
priest burned the morning and the evening incense, and 
caused the perpetual fragrance to ascend, though he 
could not see the mercy-seat, he could look toward it, 
and present his incense in that direction. So, in our de- 
votions, though with the eye of sense we can not see the 
throne of grace, we know that we are near it, and, like 
the Psalmist, we can direct our prayer and look up." 

" I think," said Elnathan, " there is an instructive les- 
son in the approach we have made from the outer door 
of the court to this inner veil. I see in it a beautiful 
illustration of the progress of the Christian life — the 
progressive steps by which the believer comes to the 
clearer revelations of God and more intimate communion 
with Him. We separate ourselves from the great multi- 
tudes of the world, and come within the sacred inclosure 
of the court by the wide opening of twenty cubits, that 
seems to invite all to enter. We come first to the great 
altar of burnt-offering ; here we can go no further until 
the blood of the slain victim stains the altar, and the 



THE INNER VEIL. 273 

smoke of the sin-offering ascends to heaven. The sin- 
ner, trembling with the burden of his guilt, lays his hand 
upon the head of the innocent victim and confesses his 
sin. The lamb dies, atonement is made, and reconcilia- 
tion and peace with God is found. So we first come to 
Christ, the great atoning sacrifice, and find pardon 
through the blood of atonement. We pass the great 
laver — the waters of regeneration and sanctification. 
We pass under the first veil, and come to abide in the 
Tabernacle of God. We enjoy His light, we eat at His 
table, we offer the incense of grateful and adoring hearts 
upon the golden altar. At last we come to stand, as 
we now do, at this inner veil, just by the door of heaven, 
to wait the opening of the golden gates for entrance into 
the more immediate presence of Jehovah to behold His 
glory!" 

"Blessed sanctuary of God!" exclaimed Jason. 
"How much we have learned — how much enjoyed. The 
golden furniture, the bread, the light, the fragrant in- 
cense ! And now we stand before the royal veil, and 
await yet richer revelations. Behind this we shall stand 
before the sacred ark, the mercy-seat, and under the 
outstretched wings of the mysterious cherubim, and be- 
neath the resplendent glory of the Shekinah. Dare we 
enter?" 

"This," said Ben Achmed, "was Jehovah's audience 
chamber — a place of awful solemnity to Israel. It was 
the type of heaven. Upon the glories behind this veil 
the eyes of the thoughtless could never wander ; the feet 
of the unsanctified could never enter. Even Moses 
dared not go in, but stood reverently without the veil, 
near the altar of incense, and, in answer to his inquiries, 



274 

received the orders of his August Sovereign. The si- 
lence of this dwelling place of the Lord Jehovah was 
never known to be broken by the sound of human foot- 
steps, or disturbed by human voice, except when, under 
the sanctity of the most solemn preparations, the high 
priest, on the great Day of Atonement, amid the smoke 
of the fragrant incense, sprinkled the blood of the obla- 
tion before the mercy-seat to make atonement for the sins 
of the people, and propitiate the favor of Him who sat 
enthroned upon the wings of the cherubim." 

" But the barrier," said I, "has been removed. The 
high priest entered by the blood of atonement, and for us 
the blood of atonement has been shed. With Christ for 
our great High Priest we may enter. The veil has not 
merely been drawn aside, but rent asunder, opened no 
more to be closed." 

" Mystery of mysteries," said Ben Achmed, " my soul 
adores and trembles." 

" In the epistle to the Hebrews," continued I, " we are 
told that this most holy place was a type of heaven it- 
self; and the veil that concealed it indicated that the way 
into heaven, the abode of Jehovah, was not yet made 
manifest while as yet the first Tabernacle was standing. 
In the fullness of time Messiah came, a faithful High 
Priest in things pertaining to God — the High Priest of a 
greater and more perfect Tabernacle. He was laid upon 
the altar of the cross ; the nails and the spear did their 
cruel work; the darkened heavens, the quaking earth, 
and rending rocks were indications of heaven's presence 
and heaven's power. As the priests were officiating in 
the temple, and the smoke of the evening sacrifice was 
ascending, in the agony of his soul he cried out : ' It is 
finished.' The great atoning sacrifice Jehovah had pro- 



THE IXXER VEIL. Zib 

Tided, and to which all others pointed — the Lamb slain 
from the foundation of the world — was on the altar. Not 
by blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he was 
about to enter into the most holy place to obtain eternal re- 
demption for us. — Heb. ix, 12. And what was the sign ? It 
was seen and felt in the great temple of the mount of God — 
the Holy of Holies by an invisible hand was laid open. 
The mystic veil, that for so many hundreds of years had 
concealed the sacred symbols, was rent asunder ' from 
the top to the bottom' — from the top to the bottom. Had 
the power been of man, it would have been from the bot- 
tom upward. From the top downward was by power 
from on high — it was God's hand opening a way of ap- 
proach to the throne of grace. The ark of the covenant 
with its sacred deposits, the cherubim and mercy-seat, 
were all revealed to the gaze of an astonished world ! 
AYhere before it was death for man to look, he might now 
enter and come near to God. Jesus stood forth as the 
anointed One — the true, living, approachable Shekinah ; 
and the sun in the heavens, as if struck with rever- 
ential awe, retired, that the radiant light of the un- 
veiled Son of God might shine forth in more resplendent 
glory." 

U A new and living way" emphasized Elnathan, " was 
opened to the holy of holies. A new way ! The aston- 
ished priest ministering at the altar, may banish his fears 
and look without condemnation upon the unveiled sym- 
bols of Jehovah's presence. A new way — they need not 
wait for the return of the great day of atonement to 
bear the blood of the slaughtered victim, as a shield of 
protection behind the veil. Not only a new, but a living 
way ; death shall no more smite the man that enters. 
The sacrificial victim need no longer die ; the blood is no 



276 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. ' 

longer wanted. The atoning Messiah has become the 
new and ever-living way, and he who enters shall die no 
more." 

" How precious," said one, " these new revelations of 
God ! How plain the way of approach ! These hidden 
emblems have performed their mission, and to them we 
can now come. The law, one of the sacred deposits of 
the ark, can now be handled, for it has been kept, honored 
and fulfilled ; the pot of manna so long the symbol of Je- 
hovah's providential care, has given place to the true and 
living bread given for a famishing world ; the rod that 
once budded in testimony of Aaron's priesthood, blossoms 
afresh in honor of heaven's newly consecrated Priest, 
who now alone ministers before God ! " 

" How wonderful," exclaimed Jason, " yes, we may go 
in. The patriarchs had dim visions of the purposes of 
Jehovah ; Moses came nearer and had clearer revelations, 
but between him and the glory that kindled upon the 
wings of the cherubim there was an impenetrable veil. 
Now the veil has been rent, and all men may see what is 
the fellowship of the mystery which has been hid from 
ages and from generations, but is now made manifest 
to His saints, revealed unto His holy apostles and proph- 
ets by the Spirit. The veil was a separation between 
God and man, and could only be removed by the blood 
of Christ. The rending of the veil was the abrogation 
of the ceremonial law; in Christ all was fulfilled. He 
canceled the handwriting of ordinances that were against 
us, nailing it to the cross. He broke down the middle 
wall of partition to make of twain one new man so mak- 
ing peace. In Messiah all separating veils are rent ; all 
become one in Him, Jew and Gentile, Greek and barba- 
rian, bond and free." 



THE INNER VEIL. 277 

"Before this veil," said one, "I am reminded of the 
gate of heaven. Those holy gates forever bar all impu- 
rity. There entereth nothing that defileth, or worketh 
abomination, or loveth a lie. But let us go in and con- 
tinue our meditations among the wonders of the inner 
sanctuary." 

" Our Rabbis say," said Ben Archmed, " prepare thy- 
self in the ante-chamber in order that thou mayest enter 
the palace." 

"As we have talked of these things," said I, " the 
hours have glided swiftly by. The day is drawing to a 
close : rest and refreshment will prepare us the better 
to enjoy a visit among the holy symbols of the sacred 
place." 



278 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Three Days — An Evening at the Door of the 

Tent. 

The oppressive heat of the day was followed by one 
of those chilly evenings, common among these mountains, 
that brought the company close about the scanty fire 
Abdellah had kindled from such scraps of fuel the bar- 
renness of the desert afforded. Many of these quiet 
evening hours had been to them golden ones, as they had 
conversed of the mysterious revelations of Grod. Every 
advance in the study of the mystic symbols had deep- 
ened their interest. They saw in these appointments the 
handwriting of One whose sign manual was stamped in 
large forethought and impressive wisdom on all. There 
was something in the wildness and sterility of the desert ' r 
the profound — almost impressive silence — deep as the 
hush of midnight ; their complete isolation from all the 
busy world ; the weird light of the moon creeping slowly 
down the mountain slopes, filling the craggy ravines with 
ghost-like shadows, that inspired awe, and served to 
deepen the reverential feelings the lessons of the day had 
inspired. 

In the conversation, Ben Achmed, usually a listener,, 
seemed disposed to lead ; and as he had a rich and varied 
fund of knowledge from which to draw, his companions 
were always attentive listeners. In physical energy and 
development he was a man of adamant, but he had a 
child's heart in the full sense of the teachings of Jesus — ■ 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 279 

the purity, sincerity and simplicity of the kingdom of hea- 
ven. He was a Rabbi indeed in all Biblical lore, but he was 
not merely book-learned ; he had a large and varied experi- 
ence, and his mind had been enriched by deep and serious 
meditation. His long researches and questionings had cul- 
minated in a clear and vigorous faith. Theories, and forms, 
and abstract doctrines had become to him a secondary 
consideration. He had found the way to the living altars 
of God, and in his spiritual communings the intuitions 
of his deep religious nature had risen above the logic of 
the intellect, and the prejudices, the narrow-mindedness, 
and dogmatism of early education, and the mere outward 
forms by which he had so long been bound. Many things 
we use as stepping-stones to higher attainments that we 
afterwards come to cast away. As we progress in the 
divine life the ritual becomes less necessary ; we advance 
beyond it ; we live without it ; the spiritual asserts its 
supremacy; the life becomes a living oblation; the body 
a living sacrifice the heart a golden altar from which the 
incense of praise continually ascends to God. The nearer 
we approach to God the more spiritaal our worship be- 
comes. Forms and rituals may at first help us on, but as 
we advance they become clogs upon the wings of our spir- 
itual aspirations. 

" How strange," said the Rabbi, " that Jehovah should 
lead His people from yonder rich plains of Mizraim to 
this sterile place which Mosheh called a desert land ; a 
waste, howling wilderness — a great, terrible wilderness 
where no water is." Deut. viii, 15. 

"Jehovah was leading them," said I, "and where He 
leads we need not fear to follow. The difficult and thorny 
paths of sorrow often open into the rich pastures of His 
love. What lessons the people learned even in this deso- 



280 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

late and secluded place. Man did eat angels' food ; Jeho- 
vah spread a table for them in the wilderness. He 
brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to 
run down like a river. We often mourn our adverse 
fortunes, but our heavenly Father knows how out of the 
bitter soil of adversity to bring forth refreshing harvests 
of peace and joy. Often, too, the very sacrifices we 
make, and the comforts we abandon for the sake of good- 
ness and truth, come back to us fledged with angels* 
wings and laden with blessings." 

" Though they were Abram's seed, and though they 
walked in sadness," said Elnathan, "Jehovah was prepar- 
ing blessings, not for them alone, but for all mankind. 
The law of the Ten Words has been like the angel of the 
Apocalypse flying through the heavens. Our holy re- 
ligion — our better hopes were born of this seclusion — of 
these wonderful revelations of the solitary desert and 
mount. Here the way was prepared for better things to 
come — no other religion could have given Messiah to 
the world, and these desert revelations prepared the 
way." 

"A remnant of my people," said Achmed, " still sur- 
vive. They stand, and have stood as living and perpet- 
ual witnesses of Jehovah's care and goodness, and Jeho- 
vah's wonderful revelations. Many waters have not 
drowned them ; like the bush of Moses, burning, they 
have not been consumed. Even now they stand as the 
ally of the Christian against paganism, atheism, and all 
forms of irreligion. They with you stand up for the 
faith of one Eternal, Self-existent Jehovah, maker and 
upholder of all — the truth that lies at the foundation of 
all true religion, and all morality ; and for the preserva- 
tion of these great truths the world is their debtor. One 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 281 

of the grand blessings of Mosaism was in its Messianic 
hopes. Here my people have erred. They have failed 
to see Jehovah in His deeper mysteries. My people say 
that Israel was the blossom crown on the tree of human- 
ity ; to this I can now add, that Messiah is the blossom 
crown on the tree of Israel." 

" Jacob in his vision," said I, " saw a ladder ; its foot 
rested on the earth, its top was lost in the glories of 
heaven, and the angels went hither and thither. If we 
take away the ladder, we shall miss the angels' visits." 

" Israel in the wilderness," said Achmed, " were laying 
the foundations broader and deeper than they knew. 
They builded well, and in their hands was a sufficiency of 
strength, but they understood not that their work was to 
be from generation to generations. Mosheh was a man 
of wisdom, and he took to himself mighty men of coun- 
sel, and Jehovah, blessed be His name, was over them 
all, and the foundations were for the nations," 

" Israel," said I, " may well boast of Moses ; yet Moses 
belonged not to Israel only but to the whole world ; so 
of the Messiah. In the beginning God created man — 
not a man merely, but the whole race. So Messiah is 
not the son of a man, but the son of man — of the race ; 
He belongs to all men. Our views of these things are 
too much circumscribed ; we must not limit the blessing 
to race nationality, or particular creeds and faith. Mes- 
siah came for us all — to open a wide door. 

" Your Hebrew brethren, it seems to me stop short of 
the fulfillment of the promise — the realization of hope. 
They have the foundation stones but they fail to erect 
the structure. They do not pluck the ripened fruit of 
the tree of their fathers. They sit in the shade of the 
24 



"282 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

olive, but fail to gather its fatness. They are in the 
great school of God, but they stop among the primary 
lessons. They come to the Tabernacle, but they linger 
in the court and about the brazen altar. They do not 
come within the veils, to the full light of the golden can- 
delabrum, and the perpetual bread." 

" How difficult," said Achmed, " to rend the veil of 
-early education, and of national prejudice ! These long 
held me in bondage. They were like the new ropes and 
green withs that held Sampson. But when the spirit of 
the Anointed One came upon me, I became like that son 
of Manoah with his full grown locks, and now my bond- 
age is broken ; I am across the sea ; the angel of Jeho- 
vah's presence leads me ; the song of deliverance is on 
my lips. Messiah's spiritual kingdom is the enlargement 
of Israel ; the fulfillment of the promise. Mosaism and 
Christianity are one ; they have one author ; one subject; 
one only aim. They teach one plan of redemption ; one 
way of atonement for sin ; both combined are but one 
grand highway of Jehovah's revelations to lead the nations 
back to unity and to God — Messiah the end and crown- 
ing glory of all." 

" I sometimes wonder," said Jason, " your Hebrew 
brethren do not see these things as Paul saw them when 
the scales fell from his eyes, and the light of heaven shone 
iround him. Why should not the Jews believe ? But 
many of them, aye multitudes of them, did. Messiah 
himself was a Jew, from the loins of Abraham and David ; 
the early heralds of the glad tidings were Jews ; Paul was 
a Jew ; and when he found the Messiah he did not re- 
nounce or abandon his Jewish faith, nor was he an apos- 
tate ; he was more of a Jew than before. His eyes were 
opened to understand the scriptures ; he saw the fullness 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 283 

of their meaning — the fulfillment of their predictions. 
The rod of the law budded, and brought forth fruit. He 
saw the ripening fruit of the Mosaic tree like a joyous 
vintage. He hastened with gladness and eagerness to 
his brethren, bearing the joyous message that had been 
proclaimed by angels on the plains at Bethlehem. He 
took with him no new Bible, no new scheme of redemp- 
tion. The law and the prophets were his ultimate ap- 
peal ; on them he rested his cause. He went openly and 
boldly into the synagogues of his brethren, for they were 
still his brethren, and reasoned with them out of the 
scriptures, that Jesus was the Messiah. At Ephesus, for 
three entire months, he met with his brethren in the syn- 
agogue, and opened to them the real meaning of their 
own scriptures, and contended for the faith of their 
fathers, and the true interpretation of the Messianic- 
prophecies as centering in the Messiah. When arraigned 
before Agrippa, he rejoiced that he was brought to the 
judgment seat of one who believed in the prophets, and 
was expert in all the customs and questions of the Jews. 
There he asserted the strict manner of his life, and how 
he stood for the hope of the promise made by God to the 
fathers. He declared the manner in which he had been 
brought to an enlarged and clearer understanding of 
these promises, and that in all these witnessings before 
his brethren, both small and great, he was saying none 
other things than those which the prophets and Moses 
did say should come to pass. — Acts xxvi, 22. Paul did 
not wish to separate himself from his brethren ; he loved 
them, and sought their spiritual welfare. If with him 
there was one yearning desire that predominated over all 
others, it was for the blessing and salvation of his breth- 
ren : ' My kinsmen according to the flesh ; who are Israel- 



284 HAM-MISIIKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

ites indeed ; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the 
glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and 
the service of God, and the promises — whose are the 
fathers, and of whom concerning the flesh Messiah came V ' 
— Rom. ix, 4, 5. 

" Paul was indeed a noble character," replied Achmed, 
46 I have always greatly admired him even when blinded 
to the excellency and truth of his teachings. You speak 
of his conversion — it was not so much a conversion as an 
advance to higher knowledge. He remained in the same 
school but went up to take lessons in a higher class. My 
brethren will perhaps condemn me, and spurn me from 
the synagogue, but like Paul I shall love them still. I 
have not renounced my Jewish faith ; 1 shall not be rec- 
reant to Moses and the law. I still stand on the founda- 
tion of the patriarchs, and the prophets ; there will I 
abide, for in that soil are the great roots of the tree that 
is dropping its fruits on the nations. My Jewish faith 
is ripening blessed fruits. There is a great difference 
between abandoning a house, and going up to occupy 
higher apartments. When I went to algebra and ge- 
ometry I did not slight or cast a>vay the elementary les- 
sons of my arithmetic ; those primary lessons were the 
foundation upon Avhich I continued to build — the step- 
ping stones to advanced attainments. The ripened fruit 
is not a condemnation of the leaves and blossoms from 
wmich it came. These advanced degrees — the spiritual- 
ity of the glorious dispensation — are the crown and 
glory, not the condemnation and rejection of what has 
gone before. Mosaism is the oldest of all systems of re- 
ligion — gradually unfolding through all the long ages — 
the patriarchal, the Mosaic ; then the coming of Messiah 
— the reign of God — the twilight, the coming of the day, 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 285 

the glorious rising of the full orbed sun ! Without this 
addition Mosaism stands like a broken shaft — an unfin- 
ished structure. Add the reign of Meshiah, and there is 
a fullness and completeness ; a harmonious and beautiful 
whole — base, shaft, capital — reaching like the wonderful 
ladder of Jacob from earth to Heaven. The blessing of 
Jehovah upon the patriarchs was like the hills ; it came 
to Israel like the great mountains ; it rests upon the 
crown of King Meshiah like the glory of paradise." 

" God make thee a blessing to thy people," said Jason. 
" Thou wilt love them more than ever before ; the soil of 
the kingdom grows no hatred. The great heart of Paul 
went out for his brethren, his kinsmen according to the 
flesh." 

" I understand it now T ; I shall love them more than 
ever before. I, with them, am debtor to the goodness 
and mercy of God ; and you Gentiles are debtors to 
them. Still none of us have reason for boasting. Can 
the gay butterfly that floats in the sunlight boast over 
the crawling worm it left weaving a shroud through 
which it too may yet burst into higher life ? Jehovah 
cares for His people still. ' In anger I hid my face from 
them for a little time, but with everlasting love will I 
gather them.' There are higher lessons for them ; they 
will not always tarry in the school of Mosheh." 

" I am impressed," said another, " with the manner in 
which this amazing system of truth has been unfolded 
to the world. It carries the stamp of the wisdom and 
guidance of the Divine Mind. To the patriarchs He 
spake in dreams and visions ; by Moses in thunder tones 
from this Mount Sinai ; at last, in the fullness of time, He 
has spoken unto us by His Son. The earthly mission of 
that Son finished, from Olivet He ascended to the Father • 



286 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

but to his disciples lie said : ' I will not leave you com- 
fortless. I will send the Comforter the Holy Ghost ; he 
shall abide with you forever.' The dispensation of the 
Father, the dispensation of the Son, the dispensation of 
the Holy Ghost." 

" These successive dispensations in the history of re- 
demption," said Ben Achmed, " seem to me like three 
days. First the patriarchal day. It had its morning 
when Elohim said ' Let there be light,' and the great 
world sprang from the chaos of darkness — when the 
morning stars sang together, and the universe rejoiced 
over the new creation. Adam was created in the image 
of God, Abel built his altar, Enoch walked with God, 
and men multiplied on the face of the earth. 

" In the noontide glory of that new day Jehovah 
called Abraham. He built his altar and brought his ob- 
lation, and the Father of the faithful passed between the 
divided parts, and Jehovah made the covenant promise, 
and imbedded its confirmation in the flesh of his children. 
Jehovah was preparing blessings for the nations, the 
burning light was revealed from His throne, and the an- 
gels shouted hallelujahs to the ever-living One. 

" This clay had its night when darkness fell on Miz- 
raim, and the dwellers had no light in their habitations. 
It was a night — not of rest and sleep, but of wailing and 
lamentation. Judgments fell on the oppressor, the angel 
of death swept through the land, and the mighty One 
was revealed to lift the burden and loose the captive 
chains. From the agony of that night of trembling 
was born a new day. 

" It was day the second. In its morning light the re- 
deemed people exulted. They had escaped the desert, 
thev had crossed the waters of deliverance, their enemies 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 287 

had sunk like lead in the troubled waves. It was a day 
of visitation from on high — Jehovah was among His peo- 
ple declaring the promises. 

" The morning sun of that new day went up in the 
heavens, the law of the Ten Words came from Sinai, the 
priesthood of Melchizedek was given to Levi. It was 
the day of Jehovah's wonderful visitations, of priests 
and altars and victims, of atonement and pardon — holy 
ark and burning Shekinah. At last the Tabernacle gave 
place to the gorgeous temple. That was the noontide 
glory of Israel. Jehovah exalted them among the na- 
tions. They sang the song of Moses and rejoiced in the 
God of Jeshuron. 

" Again the night came. Darkness shrouded the holy 
city. The cloud was over Zion and Olivet. The sun 
was darkened in the heavens, the great temple was 
shaken, the veil rent asunder. The sacred fire ceased to 
blaze, the blood of the slain victim to stain the great al- 
tar, Bathkol no longer answered, and the Shekinah went 
up from the wings of the cherubim. The crucified One 
cried out : ' It is finished.' He was wrapped in the 
shroud of death, and laid in the sepulcher. The revela- 
tions and glory of the second day had passed. Convul- 
sions shook the heavens, and rent the earth, and from the 
throes of that night of agony was born — 

" Day the third. As from the agonies of the night of 
Mizraim came the day of Israel's triumph, so, from the 
convulsions of the cross, the trembling earth, and the 
darkened heavens, came Meshiah's triumph. The golden 
wand of Jehovah swept the heavens ; the glory of the 
Son of Righteousness kindled upon the mountain tops. 
It was the coming of the long promised One — the Mem- 
ra — the Word — the true, living Shekinah. It was the 



288 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

day of angels' visits — of the glad tidings of great joy, 
and men sang the song of the Lamb." 

"Will the third clay have its night?" asked Elnathan. 

" Yes ; the end of the world, and the great judgment. 
The sun shall be darkened, the moon cease her light, and 
time be no longer. The sea, death, and the grave shall 
give up their dead, and they shall be judged from the 
great books of the Almighty. Then shall appear the 
new heavens, and the new earth. The Tabernacle and 
all the temples of earth shall have fulfilled their mission, 
the heavens shall be opened, and the eternal day reveal 
its glory. 

" And so this last day shall be an everlasting one — 
there shall be no night there. The true Shekinah — the 
Lord God, and the Lamb — shall be the unfailing lio-ht 
thereof. The redeemed shall come to the true Mish-kan 
kebod Jehowah — the dwelling of the glory of the Lord. 
The beginning of all things was night, the end shall be 
eternal day. As in the second day they sang the song 
of Mosheh, and in the third clay the song of the Lamb, 
so, in this day of final triumph — of finished redemption — 
patriarchs, prophets and apostles — all the great family 
of the redeemed, from every kindred, tribe and tongue, 
shall unite in one grand harmony, and sing the song of 
Mosheh and the Lamb." 

The earnestness of the Rabbi aroused the enthusiasm 
of his little auditory, and one of them broke out in ex- 
ultant sang — 

" How beauteous are their feet 
Who stand on Zion's hill; 
Who bring salvation on their tongues, 
And words of peace reveal. 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 289 

How happy are our ears 

That hear the joyful sound, 
"Which kings and prophets waited for, 

And sought but never found. 

How blessed are our eyes, 

That see the heavenly light ! 
Prophets and kings desired it long, 

But died without the sight. 
The watchmen join their voice, 

And tuneful notes employ; 
Jerusalem breaks forth in songs 

And Gentiles learn the joy." 

The Prayer of Jason. 

God, our Father in heaven, author of good and giver 
of all blessings ; to Thee we come through the mediation of 
the Anointed One. Help us to offer the acceptable sacrifice 
of broken and contrite hearts. We. rejoice that Ave can 
stand within Thy courts, and come even into the great 
audience chamber of the King of Kings, and hold sacre- 
mental communion with Thee. The blood of the great 
altar hath spoken, the radiance of the golded symbols 
have illuminated, and the luster of Thy truth has been 
like clouds of glory. The beginning of Thy words were 
truth, and truth Thy word has ever been; the way of 
Thy footsteps like angel guides. Our lips would praise 
Thee ; resplendent source of light Divine. for that sac- 
rificial fire that flamed upon the brazen altar kindled by 
the breath of God. Make our hearts like incense altars, 
from which clouds of sweet perfume came up before the 
veil. "We remember how Abraham received the seal of 
the covenant of promise ; how the face of Moses was 
resplendent with the glory ; how David breathed in sub- 



290 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

lime strains his adoration ; how Isaiah's hallowed lips 
were touched with living coals from off Thine altar ; how 
the angel of Thy presence floated on fiery pinions above 
the tents of Israel. Father, source of all blessings, 
these lessons of the past do inspire us ; may the holy de- 
votions of patriarchs and prophets be renewed within us, 
and the abiding cloud of Thy presence, and Thy glory 
overshadow us. We know Eternal Spirit of purity and 
peace, that Thou art present. These mountains and val- 
leys in all the history of the past instruct us ; and in the 
very hush and silence that broods over the desert wastes, 
we seem to hear the whisperings of the still small voice 
of God, like Elijah when he stood at the entering of the 
cave. We hear the utterances of Thy holy servants from 
long gone ages; of regenerated seers from the high 
places of inspiration ; from Messiah, whose feet are made 
beautiful upon the mountains of praise. Comfort and 
bless us, thou Father of infinities, and fill us with the 
unfailing revenues of Thy benediction. Encamp the 
angels of safety and peace about us while we sleep, and 
make our night visions like those of Jacob under the ladder 
of the angels. And when Thy returning sun kindles the 
glories of the morning upon these mountain tops, may 
we be prepared to say like Thy servant of old, ' I laid me 
down and slept ; I awaked for the Lord sustained me.' 
Be still with us, Thou great teacher, as we continue 
our contemplations and go to stand behind the veil, by 
Thy holy ark, mercy-seat and cherubim — symbols of Thy 
glory — make them speak to us as with tongues of angels.. 
Lift us above all carnal errors ; all human follies ; all sel- 
fish seeking, and make us hear only the voice of God r 
that we may have soul knowledge, the wisdom that sanc- 
tifies, and elevates to God. And when these communings* 



THE THREE DAYS, ETC. 291 

of Divine things are over, and these revelations of re 7 
demption unveiled : when Thou dost send the final mes- 
senger to lead us to the invisible land, and to the realm of 
unrobed spirits, may the unseen hand that closes the 
visions of earth, open to us the gates of Thine eternal 
kingdom, to give us deliverance from sin, and perfection 
in holiness, to praise Thee in the temple not made with 
hands eternal in the -heavens ; to stand by the great sea 
of glass mingled with fire and sing the song of final 
triumph — the song of Moses and the Lamb. To Thee we 
ascribe praise everlasting. Amen. 



292 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Kodesh Ha Kadashim — The Holy of Holies — The 
Company Within the Veil — The Ark and Mercy- 
seat. 

Behind the veil in solitude sublime, and awful, 

Where even foot of Moses ne'er presumed to tread, 

Nor Levite, nor consecrated priest, unbidden, dared to come, 

High over all created majesty, and strength, 

In glory unapproachable, Jehovah sat enthroned. 

Again the company had passed through the court, and 
the holy place, and stood before the inner veil. Their 
former conversations had served to deepen the rever- 
ence with which they approached the sacred hanging. 
Before it they paused with reverential awe, as if hesitat- 
ing to enter into the more immediate presence of God. 

" Standing here," said one, " I am reminded of what 
w r e have before said of the progressive steps by which 
we gradually advance to higher knowledge of divine 
things, and to more intimate communion with God. The 
three rooms are three successive stages in our advance 
toward heaven. And so, some reckon three times three 
of the sacred symbols in this line of progress — the court, 
with its great altar, and laver, and atoning sacrifice ; the 
holy place, with its table, candlestick, and fragrant altar ; 
and now the inner sanctuary, w r ith the ark, the mercy-seat,, 
and cherubim, to which I would add the holy Shekinah, 
or glory-cloud — ten in all, and ten is said to be the num- 
ber of completeness." 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 293 

" The three rooms," said Elnathan, " are among the 
arrangements of God ; and so one speaks of three altars 
— the great brazen one of the court, the golden one by 
which we are now standing, and the mercy-seat which we 
are about to visit, which He looks upon as the highest 
form of the altar, and where we come nearest to God — 
the oblation of the blood, the oblation of the incense, 
then the holy presence, and acceptance, when at last the 
blood of atonement is sprinkled, and the work made 
complete." 

" I am reminded," said I, " of another distinction by 
which one marks these gradations, by the be&uty and 
costliness of the materials composing the holy furniture 
— the altar of burnt-offering in the court, wood overlaid 
with brass ; the table and the incense altar, wood overlaid 
with gold ; and now the mercy-seat and cherubim, all of 
solid beaten gold. The same has been remarked with 
regard to the curtains that form the gates of entrance — 
the coarser, heavy curtains of the court ; the variegated 
colors of the holy place ; and now, this one of the inner 
sanctuary, the work of the most skillful hands, of blue, 
purple and crimson, with cherubic figures." 

" The altar of burnt-offering," said another, " stood in 
the court; it was separated from all these richer and 
more heavenly things. At that altar we must commence. 
Here faith begins with our first approach to God — obe- 
dience to His law, surrender to His will, penitence, con- 
fession, obedience — all these lie at the very entrance of 
the way of holiness. But all these do not entitle us to 
the interior communion with God, and the deeper myste- 
ries, and enjoyments of salvation, only as Ave persevere, 
progressing in knowledge and holiness. But the high 
priest — our High Priest — has been before us, and has 



294 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

prepared the way — not by the blood of slain victims, 
but by His own blood He has entered in, and left the 
rent veil open behind Him. In the kingdom of Christ, 
the true Tabernacle, all veils are rent — all human 
distinctions abolished ; all His children are free to all 
parts of the spiritual temple. Let us enter, and study 
the higher and more advanced lessons of the house of 
God." 

" From grace to glory," said Jason. " The path of 
the just is as the shining light shining brighter and 
brighter. In the holy place we had the light of the 
golden lamp ; behind this veil we shall stand in the 
brighter light of the Shekinah. Sublimer revelations 
await us ! " 

A few steps forward, and the company stood in 
the most holy place. They looked with wondering awe, 
and reverence upon the magnificent adornments, and 
golden furniture — ark, mercy-seat and cherubim — type 
of heaven. 

The room was ten cubits, or fifteen feet long, fifteen 
broad, and fifteen high — the length, breadth and height 
equal — the cube is said to signify perfection. The 
apostle John saw in revelation the New Jerusalem lying 
four square ; the length, breadth and height equal, by 
which was indicated the perfection of the place. The 
walls were resplendent with burnished gold, while the 
curtains of blue, purple, and scarlet, wrought with fig- 
ures of cherubim, formed a brilliant ceiling impending 
above their heads. Here they were in the actual Taber- 
nacle of God ; to this, all the rest were but accessories. 
Here, on His throne of gold, above the outstretched 
wings of the cherubim, Jehovah tabernacled in the cloud 
of glory. 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 295 

The common people visited the court, and there 
brought their oblations and offerings ; into the holy place 
went the priests and Levites to arrange the golden lamps 
and table of show-bread, and to minister at the golden 
altar; but this hallowed place no man was permitted 
to enter except the high priest once a year, and that 
too after the most solemn preparations, to sprinkle the 
blood of atonement in the more immediate presence of 
God. 

" What a solemn place," said Jason, " this must have 
been to ancient Israel, as they gather around the sanctu- 
ary of God ! This was the inner chamber of the King 
of Kings, the silence of which was only broken by the 
rustling garments of the high priest as with unsandaled 
feet and robe of spotless white, he came, on that one ap- 
pointed day, to sprinkle the blood of atonement, first for 
himself, and then for the nation." 

On the west side of the room, removed at a suitable 
distance from the veil, and probably near the west wall, 
stood the holy symbols that imparted such sanctity to the 
place — the ark, the mercy-seat, the cherubim, and the 
fiery cloud. Around this the company were soon gathered 
in earnest conversation. 

Ark of the Covenant. 
Among the sacred furniture of the Tabernacle this held 
the most prominent and peculiar place. The law of the 
Ten Words had been given in sublime and solemn gran- 
deur from the summit of the burning mount — spoken in 
the presence of an awe-stricken and adoring people. 
That law was the foundation upon which all their moral- 
ity, religion, prosperity and happiness were based. It 
must be carefully preserved and obeyed. For this the 



296 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

sacred ark was built. In the directions to Moses it was 
the first thing he was directed to make, and to cover and 
protect this all the other arrangements were made sub- 
servient. " Thou shalt put therein the ark of the tes- 
timony." In the dedication this was first put in its 
place. In size, costliness, skill and beauty of workman- 
ship, as well as in sanctity it exceeded all the rest of the 
holy furniture. It stood deep within the most holy 
place, where eye, or foot, or hand unclean never pene- 
trated, overshadowed by the visible presence of the Lord 
God of hosts. 

The name ark in our version is applied to the ship in 
which Noah was saved, and to the receptacle of rushes in 
which the infant Moses was laid ; that name in the He- 
brew is tebah, a boat or vessel ; this ark of the sanctu- 
ary was ah-rone, a coffer or chest. The same word is 
used in Chronicles to denote the chest, or box placed by 
order of the king Joash at the gate of the house of the 
Lord to receive the contributions of the people when he 
wished to raise funds for the repair of the temple. What 
gave this chest of the Tabernacle its sanctity above all 
others was the sacred use to which it was applied. It is 
called the ark of God because made by His special di- 
rection and devoted entirely to His use. It is called also 
the ark of the covenant and the ark of the testimony, 
or witness ; because in it the law was deposited, and in 
that law God had declared His will, and taught the people 
their duty, and they had declared their acceptance of it, 
and promised their obedience to it. Thus it was a testi- 
mony from God to them, witnessing for Him ; and would 
be a testimony against them, should they be disobedient. 
Thus it was ah-rone Ha-Eduth — Ark of the Testimony. 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 297 

Its Size and Form. 

The dimensions of the ark are particularly specified. 
It was to be two and one-half cubits long ; one and a half 
broad, and one and a half high. Reckoning the cubit at 
eighteen inches it would be three feet nine inches long, 
two feet three inches broad, and two feet three inches 
high. It was made of the same kind of incorruptible 
wood as the other parts of the Tabernacle, and all over- 
laid with the purest gold, and a heavy crown or cornice 
of gold was placed around the top. Targum : "A coronal 
of sold shall surround it." This crown seems to have 
been very exquisitely wrought with twisted wreathes and 
undulations, adding not only to its beauty, but serving 
as a border to hold in place the massive plate of gold 
that formed the lid or mercy-seat, which we are soon to 
notice. 

Four rings of gold were to be attached to the four cor- 
ners, two upon each side. Through these were passed 
long staves of acacia wood, also overlaid with gold, by 
which the ark was to be borne upon the shoulders of 
the priests, or Levites, when it was removed. Some say 
the staves were placed across the end of the ark so that 
it was borne side foremost. 

WicklinVs translation, about a. d. 1380, is quaint and 
curious : " An ark of the trees of sechym whose lengthe 
haue twey cubits and a halfe ; the broodness haue a cubit 
and a halfe, the highness haue in like manner a cubit and 
a halfe. And thou shalt ouergilde it with cleneste gold 
with ynne and with out forth ; and thou shalt make a 
golden crowne about by cumpass, and four golden coer- 
clis which thou shalt sette bi foore corners of the ark, 



298 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

twie coerclis be in o side and twei coerclis in the tother 
side." 

The ark was never to be transported upon a cart or 
wagon, but was to be borne by the staves upon the 
shoulders of the Levites. This was on account of its 
greater sanctity, and also for its greater security that it 
might not be injured. 

The place of this ark in the Tabernacle was in the in- 
ner sanctuary, or holy of holies. Here behind the 
golden pillars and the magnificent inner veil, in un- 
broken silence, amid awful solemnity of the place, it bore 
up the holy symbols of God's abiding presence — the 
mercy-seat, the golden cherubim, and the cloud of 
light. 

The staves by which the table of show-bread and the 
altar of incense were borne were to be taken out when- 
ever these articles were set in the holy place upon the 
rearing up of the Tabernacle. But the staves by which 
the ark of the covenant was borne were on no occasion 
to be taken out; an express command of the Almighty 
prohibited their removal. The reason probably was that 
the staves of the table of show-bread, and the golden al- 
tar, standing in that portion of the sanctuary most fre- 
quently used, would have discommoded the priests in 
their daily ministrations, while the ark stood in the most 
holy place, which was but little used. A more impor- 
tant reason might have been the superior sanctity with 
which the ark was to be regarded — it was never to be 
approached or handled unnecessarily. The ark was the 
symbol of their religion, of the covenant between them 
and their God. Wherever they went the ark must go ; 
so we are always to take our religion with us. 



299 



Contents of the Ark. 

Three sacred relics were deposited in the ark — the 
two tables of the law delivered to Moses upon the mount, 
upon which were written the ten commandments of the 
law ; God's autograph in stone. As we have before seen 
God will take care to preserve the record of His revela- 
tion to man ; His law must not be lost or forgotten. The 
first tables of the law were broken in the excitement of 
Moses when he descended from the mount, and found the 
people engaged in idolatrous worship. New ones were 
made for the sacred deposit. The ark could not be the 
receptacle of the broken law ; it must be kept whole and 
entire. The law was a testimony against the people if 
they transgressed ; but this testimony was hidden by the 
mercy-seat, on which was sprinkled the blood of atone- 
ment by the high-priest when he entered the holy of 
holies ; for God's mercy covers and as it were hides His 
justice when He is approached through the atonement of 
Christ. 

Second, a golden pot or vessel containing an omer of 
the manna, about three quarts, which Aaron was directed 
to lay up before the Lord. The design of this was 
that succeeding generations might see the food with which 
the Lord fed them during their long sojourn in the 
wilderness. Ex. xvi, 33. As God arranged for the pres- 
ervation of His law, so did He also for the evidence of 
His miracles and mercies. Posterity must see the bread 
which He sent down from heaven to feed His people, type 
of the true bread that was to be given for the life of the 
world. 

" The preservation of this sample omer," said one- 
" seems to have been another among the marvels of this 



300 HAM-MLSHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

inexplicable food of the desert. Every other attempt to 
preserve any of it beyond one day or two, when a Sab- 
bath intervened, was a failure." 

" It may be in allusion to this omer of manna stored 
in the ark," said another, " that the Savior is called the 
hidden Manna. As that manna was deposited in the ark, 
and preserved in secret in the holy of holies — type of 
heaven — so Christ the true Manna, the living Bread, has 
gone behind the veil into heaven itself, and there ever re- 
maineth to minister supplies unto His people. As that 
hidden manna of the ark was incorruptible, so Christ, 
unchanged and unchanging, forever lives, the supply of 
spiritual life to all His people. As that manna remained 
unseen by carnal eyes, and none but the anointed God 
was allowed to look upon it, or handle it, so the spiritual 
manna is all unseen only by the eye of faith, and relished 
and enjoyed only by him whose affections have been 
brought into union and communion with God. To such 
is given the hidden manna." 

To these two interesting memorials was added Aaron's 
rod ; the evidence of his call to the priesthood. Of this 
we have an account in the seventeenth chapter of Num- 
bers. A rebellion had broken out among some of the 
families of Levi because the house of Aaron had been 
appointed to the priesthood. Upon some of these rebel- 
lious ones the terrible judgments of the Almighty had 
fallen. For a definite and final settlement of the ques- 
tion, and to determine who was the choice of God, Moses 
directed that the prince of each tribe should bring a staff 
or almond rod, each inscribed with the name of his tribe. 
The rod of the tribe of Levi to be inscribed with the 
name of Aaron. These rods were to be laid up in the 
Tabernacle before the testimony for a night, and he 



ETC. 301 

whose rod should bud and spring with life was to be 
known, by that sign, to be the chosen of God. In the 
morning, when the rods were brought forth, it was found 
that while all the other rods were dry, the rod inscribed 
with the name of Aaron had budded, blossomed, and 
brought forth fruit. This miraculous test settled the 
question of the divine appointment of the house of 
Aaron to the sacerdotal office, and in this divine appoint- 
ment all the others henceforth acquiesced. So Moses 
was directed to take the witnessing rod and bring it 
within the testimony, and lay it up before the Lord as a per- 
petual memorial of the choice of Aaron to the priestly 
ministrations, never afterward to be disputed. Thus, for 
three reasons, was this the ark of testimony — the testi- 
mony of the law, as we have before seen ; the testimony 
of the manna to the food sent down from heaven ; the 
testimony of the rod to the priestly designation. 

" In my mind," said Elnathan, " there is an important 
lesson connected with this test of the appointment of 
Aaron to the sacred calling. It was certified by life from 
the dead. We have had occasion, and shall still further 
have, to look upon Aaron as a type of Christ — of his 
priestly intercession. The Aaronic priesthood long since 
passed away. Have we an intercessor — one to stand be- 
tween us and God — to enter the holy of holies ? If life 
from the dead settled the question for Israel, may not life 
from the dead settle the question for us — for the whole 
world ? 

" Look into the tomb in the garden where they have 
laid the torn and bleeding form of Him they have taken 
from yonder cross. Can this dead body live ? Can the 
rod of death blossom with the fruit of life ? The morn- 
ing dawns ; where is now the rod that was laid up before 



302 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

the Lord — the rod of the Prince of the house of David? 
From the darkness of the tomb, life and immortality 
have burst into life. He was alive and was dead, and is 
alive forevermore — standing to-day in the eternal holy 
of holies to make intercession for us." 

"In this ark," said I, " the law was kept — prefiguring 
to us, as one says, how the law was preserved and kept 
in Christ our Ark, who fulfilled all righteousness. In the 
spiritual dispensation, the law was no longer thus to be 
preserved ; but the Lord says, ' I will put my law in 
their hearts, and write them upon their minds ;' and when 
God's laws are thus again written on our hearts, we keep 
them in Christ our Ark, whose complete obedience sup- 
plies all our imperfections and defects." — Hopkins. 

" It is a pleasant illustration," said Elnathan, " some 
draw from the two materials of which the ark was made, 
of the two natures that blended in Messiah — the wood of 
His humanity and the gold of His divinity. The shittim 
wood planted and nurtured in the-earth, yet abiding un- 
corrupted and incorruptible in the midst of decay ; the 
gold that overlaid the wood, adding strength, value, 
brilliancy and glory, as the divinity adds to the hu- 
manity." 

" How precious," said Jason, " these sacred memori- 
als of the golden chest ! Here were the testimonials of 
God's legislation, the law ; of God's preservation, the 
manna ; of God's compassion, and the evidence of an in- 
tercessor, the mercy-seat. Messiah is the true Ark of 
the Covenant, and now as really dwells in the midst of 
the church as the ancient typical ark was in the midst of 
the Tabernacle." 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 303 

The Mercy-Seat. 

Above and upon the ark was placed the mercy-seat. 
The Hebrew name is kapporeth, said to be from capar, to 
cover. The verb is said to be used for the most part in 
a moral sense, being applied to the covering, that is, the 
expiation of sins : once a year the high priest entered, 
and sprinkled the mercy-seat with the blood of an expi- 
atory victim. The Greek version unites the two senses 
by rendering illasterion epithema, that is, a propitiatory 
covering, by us called a mercy-seat. Thus we read, in 
Hebrews ix, 5 : " And over it the cherubims of glory 
shadowing the mercy-seat " — illasterion. So, in Romans 
iii, 25, speaking of Christ : " Whom God hath set forth to 
be a propitiation (illasterion) through faith in his blood." 
The apostle John says : " He is a propitiation {illasterion) 
for our sins." This was indeed the kapporeth, or cover- 
ing; for, when sins are pardoned, they are said in scrip- 
ture to be covered. It was the propitiatory, the mercy- 
seat; because God here showed Himself propitious or 
merciful. 

This mercy-seat was a massive piece of pure, solid, or 
beaten gold, two cubits and a half in length, a cubit and 
a half in breadth, and the Jews say a hand-breadth in 
thickness — about three and a half to four inches. It cor- 
responded in length and breadth exactly to the dimen- 
sions of the ark, because, as one says, the propitiation 
must satisfy the ark in all its length and breadth. 

Some are of the opinion that the mercy-seat was the 
lid of the ark ; while others contend that the ark had its 
own proper lid of acacia wood plaited with gold. 

" I am of the opinion," said Elnathan, " the mercy- 
seat was the lid of the ark. It was the propitiatory, the 



304 

mercy-seat covering the law — it was the sinner's protec- 
tion from the fearful penalty. The mercy-seat removed, 
there was nothing between the transgressor and the 
rigors of the burning, avenging law. Mercy saves from 
wrath." 

"It certainly seems to me," said another, "from the 
account in Exodus, that the ark was finished complete 
with its own lid overlaid with gold, making a com- 
plete receptacle for the sacred deposits. The mercy-seat 
is spoken of as an object distinct from the ark, formed 
of gold only. The lid covered the ark, but the mercy- 
seat covered the lid and the whole ark. So it is said : 
' Thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark.' ' 

" There is no doubt," says one, " a significant lesson 
in the fact that the mercy-seat covered the law. God's 
law is great, holy, sacred ; and, in dispensing mercy, that 
prime fact must never be lost sight of. This was the 
mercy-seat, but it was mercy conferred through an act 
of expiation — through the blood of an atoning sacrifice. 
All pardon must be so dispensed that God's law shall be 
honored. Mercy and grace must be so conferred that no 
violence shall be done to the honor and justice of God in 
His moral government. The attributes of the divine 
character must be honored and vindicated. While God 
hates iniquity, He loves righteousness. In the grand 
consummation of redemption the cry from the multitude 
of the redeemed shall be : ' Great and marvelous are Thy 
works Lord God Almighty, just and true are Thy ways 
Thou King of saints.'* 

" The children of God love and obey the law. The 
first tables were broken, so have we all offended. The 

* Newton. 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 305 

scattered fragments of the broken law hedged up our 
pathway and hindered our return to God and salvation. 
Moses entreated God for the people, and in mercy He 
renewed the tables of the law. Atonement was made 
for the past, but the law must be remembered, honored 
and kept. God's people must have the law, the whole 
law, and obedience is demanded. We are not to continue 
in sin that grace may abound." 

" This mercy-seat," said Elnathan, " is a beautiful type 
of Christ and His intercession — the great propitiatory to 
whom we look, who stands between us and the demands 
of the violated law. ' Herein,' says the apostle John, 
' is love ; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, 
and gave His Son to be a propitiation for our sins.' 
Thus, in our spiritual wants and destitution — our need 
of pardon — we are invited to come to the mercy-seat — to 
a throne of grace, where we may find mercy and grace to 
help in every time of need." 

" In the incense of the golden altar," said another, 
' ; we saw a beautiful type of the prayer of thanksgiving, 
as the fragrant perfume ascended to the heavens ; but here 
we come with the burden of our cares and our sins, laden 
with the consciousness of our guilt, to supplicate the 
mercy of God — to seek acceptance and forgiveness. 
And we have boldness to come even into the holiest of all 
hy the blood of the crucified Son of God — by a new and 
living way which He hath consecrated for us through the 
veil, that is to say, His flesh. Here we may draw near 
with full assurance of faith. It is from this meeting and 
communing with Jehovah that the mercy-seat has become 
hallowed to every believer. Coming to the mercy-seat is 
coming to God in prayer. We still have the mercy-seat 
26 



306 

— the true mercy-seat — of which this costly symbol was 
but the type. From this mercy-seat we have some of our 
most significant religious figures, as well as some of our 
most beautiful and instructive lessons. It is this coming 
to the mercy-seat, and finding access to God and com- 
munion with Him in prayer that gives such significance 
to that consoling hymn we so often sing : 

" From every stormy wind that blows, 
From every swelling tide of woes, 
There is a calm, a safe retreat, 
'Tis found beneath the mercy-seat. • 

" There is a scene where spirits blend, 
Where friend holds fellowship with friend; 
Though sundered far, by faith we meet, 
Around' one common mercy-seat. 

" There, there on eagle's wings we soar, 
And sin and sense seem all no more; 
And heaven comes down our souls to greet, 
And glory crowns the mercy-seat." 

" Rich are the lessons of the mercy-seat," said Jason, 
" but here are these strange golden figures — the cherubim 
— that stand upon it. ' Of one piece shalt thou make 
them,' said God, as though in the mind of the Great 
Architect there was some profound blending of the les- 
sons of the two. Who will open for us the mystery of 
the cherubim ? " 

" We linger long," said I, " in the chapel of the burn- 
ing bush, and under the shadow of the mysterious cloud, 
and scarcely have we taken note of time as we have 
gathered around the ark. 

" The mercy-seat has yet richer lessons for us, but let 
us first inquire about this cherubim ; I know one of our 



KODESH HA KADASHIM, ETC. 307 

number has made these mysterious figures a study. Let 
as ask him to give us an easy lesson. We shall be bet- 
ter prepared for another visit within the veil." 

As they departed, Ben Achmed exclaimed : " Lord 
God of the heavens, fountain of goodness and truth, give 
us li^ht. "When our dust was turned into mire, and our 
paths were heaviest, Thou didst set our feet in ways of 
wisdom, and bring us into the Tabernacle of Thine 
honor. Here Thou didst open the portals of heaven, and 
appear in glory among Thine ancient people. Make ark. 
mercy-seat, and cherubim speak for us, and the splendor 
of the mystic cloud fall upon us in glory, that we may 
know that He that dwelleth in the secret place of the 
Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
Praise be to Thy holy name, Lord God of the heavens and 
the earth?" 



308 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

The Cherubim. 

According to previous arrangement the cherubim was 
made the subject of the evening lesson, and one of the 
company had been invited to give them the result of his 
studies. As he proceeded to read, it was with the request 
that there should be full liberty for any questions or sug- 
gestions from any of the company.* 

The order of Moses was first read as found in Ex. xxv, 
18, etc. 

"And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of 
beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the 
mercy-seat. And make one cherub on the one end and 
the other cherub on the other end ; even on the mercy- 
seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof, 
and the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on 
high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, and their 
faces shall look one to another ; toward the mercy-seat 
shall the faces of the cherubims be. 

"And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the 
ark ; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I 
shall give thee. And there will I meet with thee, and I 
will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from 
between the two cherubims that are upon the ark of the 

*We give only an abridgment of the paper read, condensing 
as much as possible to give an intelligent view of the ideas pre- 
sented. 



THE CHERUBIM. 309 

testimony, of all things that I will give thee in command- 
ment unto the children of Israel." 

Ben Achmedread from the Targum of Onkelos : 

"And thou shalt make a propitiatory of pure gold ; 
two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its 
breadth. And thou shalt make two kerubin of gold, 
beaten, ductile shalt thou make them on the two sides of 
the propitiatory. And thou shalt make one keruba on 
this side and one keruba on that side of the propitiatory ; 
thou shalt make the kerubin on its two sides. And the 
kerubin shall have their wings outspreading above, over- 
shadowing the propitiatory with their wings ; and their 
faces shall be opposite one to another, toward the propi- 
tiatory shall be the faces of the kerubin. And thou 
shalt set the propitiatory upon the ark over above, and 
within the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I will 
give thee. And I will appoint my Word (Memra) with 
thee there ; and I will speak with thee from above the 
propitiatory, from between the two kerubin that are upon 
the ark of the testimony, that I may commune with thee 
for the sons of Israel." (Translated by Etheridge.) 

Cherubim is the plural form of the Hebrew, cherub 
being the singular. In the adoption of the word into 
the English language a regular plural form is given 
to both words ; thus we have cherub, and cherubs ; 
•cherubim, and cherubims ; but cherubims, Webster says, 
is a barbarism. 

Our first inquiry relates to the form of the cherubim. 
Here it is important to have a correct understanding of 
the terms we use. Living languages are constantly 
changing, and many terms now used convey an entirely 
different idea from what they did in the Bible language 
of ancient times. By a cherub in modern language, we 



310 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

usually mean some form of an angelic being — a human 
being transformed to a celestial state. Sometimes the 
likeness of a beautiful child embellished with wings, used 
often as a symbol of innocence or loveliness. But the 
cherub of the Old Testament is something entirely dif- 
ferent from these. 

Webster's definition of cherub and seraph are ako 
liable to mislead us. He says : " Cherub, in scripture, is 
one of an order of angels variously represented at differ- 
ent times, usually regarded as distinguished by their 
knowledge from seraphim supposed to be ardent in love." 
But there is nothing in scripture to indicate that the 
cherubim belonged to any order of angels, or that there 
was any distinction of rank or attributes between them 
and seraphim, or that the seraphim of Isaiah, the only 
place where the term is used, were different from the 
cherubim of the Tabernacle and Temple. It is only in 
the conventional use of these terms in modern times, that 
we make such a distinction — such use of these terms had 
not attained in Old Testament times. We are now ac- 
customed to speak of angels as disembodied human 
beings with wings, but there is no indication that such 
were the angels of Moses and the patriarchs, or that 
men attached any such idea to the term. Angel was 
a term used to denote any messenger of the Almighty 
employed in the execution of His will, as often applied 
to the inanimate as to the animate objects of creation. 
The cherubim which we are now called to consider, 
as we shall constantly have occasion to notice, were 
ideal forms, or conceptions, having no corresponding 
representatives among the living beings of the creation 
of God. 

The cherubim of scripture are compounded of selected 



THE CHERUBIM. 311 

parts of the lion, the ox, and the eagle, with usually a 
preponderance of the human form. They varied in the 
kind and number of the composite parts used; some- 
times a union of the four heads upon one body, some- 
times two, and sometimes but one. Sometimes they 
were made up of but one animal body with the head of 
some other, and sometimes with wings attached. Some- 
times the form had four wings, sometimes six, and others 
again only two. 

The animals selected are from the highest type, or 
noblest representatives of the field, the forest, and the 
air — the ox, noblest and most useful among the domestic 
animals; the lion, monarch of the forest, most majestic 
and noble among the wild ; the eagle, king of all the 
feathered tribes, best fitted to symbol the dominion of 
the air. From each of these animals is selected some 
life-power in which it excels. The qualities represented 
are numerous and varied ; symbolizing not only creatures 
of their kind, but the highest and most perfect qualities 
of that kind. The head of the eagle, keen, penetrating 
and far-reaching vision ; the wings, celerity and rapidity 
of motion, speed and ubiquity ; the ox ; strength, docility, 
patient endurance and productive industry ; the lion, 
royal majesty, dignity and courage ; the man, free con- 
sciousness, reason, intelligence, authority and general 
dominion. These would be prominent among, perhaps 
many other qualities that might be suggested. It is not 
probable that all these traits were intended to be symbol- 
ized in every or in any form, but sometimes one, some- 
times another, according to the use made or lesson in- 
tended in the symbol employed. Thus we see in these 
ideal figures of the cherubim, first of all, man predomi- 
nant, and then all animated nature connected with him in 



312 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

his admission to the divine presence, and to the symbol- 
ism of his earthly courts. The humanity predominates 
as representing the highest intelligence of all earthly 
things. As God in the creation gave man the dominion 
over all, the intelligence of man gives direction to all the 
others, as in the cherubim of Ezekiel's vision, while God 
in His glory sets His throne high over them all. It may 
be a question whether these animal forms were selected 
as representatives of the particular and special attributes 
named, or simply as general types of the highest and 
most perfect forms of the earthly creation — of the field,, 
the forest and the air — subjected to the dominion of the 
man, and through him to the Jehovah as the infinite Cre- 
ator and Ruler of all. 

The ancient rabbis were accustomed to say : " There 
are four which have principality in this world : among 
intellectual creatures, man ; among birds, the eagle ; 
among cattle, the ox ; and amoug wild beasts, the lion. 
Each of these has a kingdom, and a certain magnificence,, 
and they are placed under the throne of glory to show 
that no creature is to exalt itself in this world, and that 
the kingdom of God is over all." 

The uses of these symbolic figures were not confined to 
the Hebrews ; they were in general use among other na- 
tions of antiquity — sometimes in their religious forms of 
worship, sometimes in the affairs of state — sometimes as 
national emblems, and sometimes adopted by individu- 
als — as by kings, as symbols of their power, dominion 
and authority. Many of these symbolic forms have, in 
modern times, been exhumed from the ruins of ancient 
Egypt, Nineveh and Babylon. Among these nations the 
form seems to have varied still more than among the He- 
brews. As the heads upon the bodies varied, so also the 



THE CHERUBIM. 313 

feet and the legs — those of one animal form being at- 
tached to the body of another. A common form of these 
hieroglyphic figures was the body of a lion with the head 
of a man, and sometimes wings attached, as in the com- 
mon Egyptian sphinx ; sometimes the body of a lion or 
an ox, with the head and wings of the eagle. If sim- 
plicity and compactness of form were desired, the bodjr 
of an ox, with the*mane and paws of a lion, and the head 
of a man, would combine in one some of the qualities of 
the four. 

In some of these designs the symbolism can be easily 
traced, in others it is more difficult. Layard, in speak- 
ing of the sculptures of Assyria, says that power was 
probably typified indiscriminately by the body of the 
lion and the bull. In some instances the symbolism 
would be quite opposite of the qualities we have men- 
tioned ; for the same animal that represented majesty, 
power and dominion, might in other circumstance indi- 
cate fierceness and destruction, as the eagle swooping 
down upon his prey an emblem of impetuous judgment 
and punishment, or the lion rending and tearing his prey 
in pieces. When these different animal forms were 
united, as in the cherubim of the Hebrews, they were 
doubtless intended to symbolize the highest qualities 
known to man. Sometimes duality, sometimes plurality 
of ideas were expressed in the same composite figure. 

In the cherubim of the ark the form adopted can not 
no>v be certainly known; it was probably the human 
body with wings attached, with but one head, whether hu- 
man or selected from one of the animal forms we can not 
know — but probably such was the case, while the lower 
extremities may have been those of an ox as seen subse- 
27 



'314 TIAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

quently in Ezekiel's vision. They seem to have but one 
face each, and these turned inward toward each other, 
and toward the mercy-seat, and probably looking down- 
ward to it. The cherubim of the ark were sculptured 
images ; but other representations of them abounded in 
the Tabernacle. They were wrought, by the genius of 
the weaver and the embroiderer, into the texture of the 
beautiful curtains that ornamented the interior of the 
holy and most holy places. In Solomon's temple, the 
interior walls were ornamented with cherubim and palm- 
trees — a palm-tree between a cherub and a cherub. And 
every cherub had two faces — the face of a man and the 
face of a young lion — so that the face of a man was to- 
ward a palm-tree on one side, and the face of a lion 
toward a palm-tree on the other side ; and thus it was 
made through all the house round about. Here the 
-cherubim had two faces each ; they were carved in relief, 
and could well show but two faces ; and in this Solomon 
probably followed the original pattern of the cherubim 
upon the tapestry of the Tabernacle. The base of Sol- 
omon's great laver in the court of the temple was also 
embossed with figures of cherubim. This free use of 
these images is evidence that they were a prominent and 
favorite hieroglyphic of the ancient Hebrews, and from 
this we conclude they must have had an important sym- 
bolic significance. What this was we have yet to in- 
quire. 

In the early history of men they were so much accus- 
tomed to symbolic representations, and these assumed 
such a vast variety of forms, and so many diiferent things 
were symbolized by the same, or similar composite forms, 
it is now impossible to analyze them. The same symbol 
was, perhaps, used by one people to represent something 



THE CHERUBIM. 315 

entirely different from what was understood by another 
people. It is natural for men, especially uncultivated 
men, to speak in symbols and parables. Even at this 
time the most cultivated nations are continually origi- 
nating symbolic forms — pictures and statuary — hiero- 
glyphics that address themselves to the eye, and speak 
a sort of universal language — a language plain to the 
initiated, but enigmatical often to the stranger. 

Whether, in these symbols, the Hebrews borrowed 
from the Egyptians, we have discussed in another place. 
Clemens Alexandrinus thinks the Egyptians imitated the 
cherubim of the Hebrews in their sphinxes and other 
hieroglyphic animals which they placed at the gates of 
their temples and at the base of their obelisks. Many 
eminent men feel great reluctance in admitting a similar- 
ity between the Hebrew cherubim and the compound fig- 
ures of heathen nations, as though it was an admission 
that the Hebrews in their religious rites copied from the 
heathen. But what reason have we to fear any harm tc* 
the truth by admitting the similarity of the religious 
symbols of the Egyptians and the Hebrews ? A common 
religious symbolism was early introduced among men. 
Originally all mankind had the same object of worship — 
the same forms, ceremonies and symbols ; all these 
things originated in one common source, and spread 
from one common center. As men became scattered, and 
grew up into different nationalities, these religious ideas 
and forms would be to a greater or lesser extent pre- 
served; and, as some nations degenerated into idolatry, 
the same forms and ceremonies of worship would be 
used, though perverted and debased to a dishonorable 
and sometimes shameful use. So far as the cherubim 
were concerned, they were among the earliest religious 



316 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

symbolism of the world, originating in the appointments 
of God at the gates of Eden, carried down the stream of 
time in the traditions and usages of men. The Egyp- 
tians did not have the symbol from the Hebrews, or the 
Hebrews from the Egyptians ; they were of Grod, and 
belonged to the original appointments of the true wor- 
ship. 

The size of these figures is not mentioned ; but as the 
ark was only two cubits and a half long they must have 
been much less than life size. The cherubic figures upon 
the curtains were probably about the same size as those 
upon the ark. Though the shape and size is not men- 
tioned, particular direction was given to Moses as to the 
position in which they should be placed. They were to 
stand upon the ends of the mercy-seat, with their faces 
turned toward it and toward each other. 

The ark and mercy-seat were subsequently removed 
into the temple built by Solomon ; here he constructed 
two additional cherubs of huge dimensions of olive wood 
overlaid with gold. These he set in the holy of holies, 
so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and 
the wing of the other touched the other wall, and 
their wings touched one another in the midst of the 
house. In this position the cherubim of the ark covered 
the mercy-seat, and these large ones, stretching their 
wings from wall to wall, covered the whole ark and the 
smaller cherubs standing upon it. 

Some infer from Ex. xxxvii, 7, 8, that the cherubim 
and mercy-seat were all to be made of one piece, or from 
the same mass of gold, not cast but beaten out with the 
hammer. But the language does not necessarily imply 
this. To construct a figure, whether the body of a man 
or a beast, with two extended wings, measuring from two 



THE CHERUBIM. 317 

to three feet from tip to tip, much more, too, with the 
entire mercy-seat, with the hammer, out of one solid mass 
of gold, would seem to be an unnecessary, if not an im- 
practicable piece of labor. It is not probable that any 
such process was required. The Hebrew term rendered 
beaten, we are told, literally means solid — a whole mass — 
a solid body of some material mentioned, without any 
mixture, made hard by being beaten or flattened by 
pressure. The Douay version applies the word to the 
gold, and not the work : " Thou shalt make the two cher- 
ubim of beaten gold." They were probably made sepa- 
rately, first cast, and then smoothed with a graving tool> 
burnished, and made fast to the ends of the mercy-seat. 

How much significance is to be attached to the fact 
that they were to be of one piece with the mercy-seat, we 
may not be able to know. There must have been some 
good reason for it, or it would not have been so ordered. 
They were sacred symbols, to be preserved with great 
care ; and as they were to rest on the mercy-seat, and be 
transported from place to place with the ark, there was a 
necessity that they should be made secure to the heavy 
plate of gold upon which they rested, that they might not 
be easily removed or injured by falling. But while we 
find in this a practical reason for their being thus made 
fast to the mercy-seat, many think there is a deeper — a 
spiritual significance — in the position they thus occupied. 
It may be so, for in considering the cherubim they are 
not to be taken as a separate symbol. They derive their 
importance from their connection with the mercy-seat, 
the throne and the Shekinah. In all the aspects in which 
we shall see them, in the Tabernacle and in the temple, 
in the visions of the prophets and the apostle, we shall 
find them in connection with the throne and the manifes- 



318 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

tation of the glory of God, aside from which they seem 
to have no mission. 

The Significance of the Cherubim. 

While it is comparatively easy to settle upon the gen- 
eral form of these cherubic symbols, the question of their 
significance is a much more difficult one. Why were 
such figures introduced into the symbolism of the Taber- 
nacle ? 

It is more curious than instructive to look through the 
numerous writers upon this subject, and notice the va- 
riety of opinions that have been advanced. It shows an 
indefiniteness and uncertainty in our knowledge of these 
emblems that opens the way for many conjectural hy- 
potheses. Where such uncertainty exists there are always 
those who, instead of confining their conclusions to 
known facts, are ready to indulge, and often quite freely, 
in imaginary and sometimes presumptive fancies. Let 
us endeavor to search out and eliminate what is mere 
conjecture, and ascertain what we have that may be re- 
lied upon as definite knowledge upon the question. 

Some writers, referring to the original Hebrew, have 
given us elaborate examinations of the derivation and 
original meaning of the word cherub — among more recent 
writers, Professor Rush has a lengthy and critical argu- 
ment — but the conclusions are uncertain and unsatisfac- 
tory. They have too many assumed and conjectural pre- 
mises to make them reliable. We are forced to the 
conclusion that others have reached, that nothing satis- 
factory can be gathered from the derivation of the word. 
The prominent theories upon the significance of these 
symbols may be briefly summarized as follows : 

Dr. Adam Clark, and we mention him only as a repre- 



THE CHERUBIM. 319* 

sentative of a class who hold the same theory, considers 
them to be emblems, or representatives of the eternal 
power and godhead of the " Almighty." So Bellamy 
says they were figurative representations — symbols of 
His almighty power and perfections. 

But this would have been in direct conflict with, and 
seems utterly inconsistent with the command against 
graven images — a point guarded by Jehovah with the 
greatest care and jealousy. God has always been care- 
ful in all revelations of Himself to exhibit no similitude 
that could be imitated. We can not suppose that after 
the imperative command to make no likeness of any thing, 
in heaven, the earth, or the waters, as a likeness of Jeho- 
vah, or as an object of worship, that He would immedi- 
ately order these representations of the "Almighty " to 
be set up so prominently in their very place of worship ! 

Others think that though not designed to be an image 
or effigy of Jehovah, they were symbols or representa- 
tives of some of the attributes of the divine nature — of 
power, dominion, authority and the like. In answer to 
this we may say, the cherubim were symbols or repre- 
sentatives of the most perfect forms of creaturely life — 
of the highest attributes of the noblest things of God's 
creation, but not of the attributes of the Almighty Him- 
self. Jehovah dwelt not in the cherubim, but over and 
above them. He was higher, wiser, nobler, more power- 
ful than them all. So prayer was addressed not to the 
cherubim, but to Him that was over them — " Lord God, 
who dwellest above the cherubim " — an unmistakable dis- 
tinction was made between Him who inhabited and the 
place of His habitation. The cherubim then did not 
represent attributes of the Almighty ; they occupied the 
position of creatures ; they possessed, not a ruling, but 



320 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

a ministerial character. As one says they served, they 
worshiped, they adored. 

Others again make the cherubim representatives of the 
attendant angels of God. Maimonides makes them ex- 
pressive of a belief in the existence of the angels of God, 
and to confirm men in that belief. Many other Jewish 
rabbis have held a similar opinion. Drs. Owen, Mac- 
night, Mr. Pierce, and many other eminent divines, have 
expressed the belief that they symboled the attendant 
angels around the throne and the sanctuary of God — 
ministers of the Almighty attending through both dis- 
pensations. 

So Patrick says : " Bochart seems to me to speak judi- 
ciously when he says they were not figures of angels, but 
rather emblems, whereby in some sort the angelic nature 
was expressed." So another says, they are supposed to 
represent the holy attendant angels who have always ac- 
companied the Shekinah, or Divine Majesty ; not by any 
effigy of an angel, but some emblem of the angelic nature. 
They looked toward the mercy-seat and stretched their 
wings over it, denoting their attendance on the Redeemer, 
their readiness to do His will, their presence in the as- 
sembly of the saints. 

That they represent angels is a more plausible and 
less objectionable theory than the other we have 
mentioned, and is one pleasant to contemplate, but by no 
means capable of proof. There are embarrassing, if not 
insuperable objections to this interpretation. The term 
angel, as used by these modern writers, as we have before 
seen, suggests an entirely different idea from the term 
angel as used in ancient times. The disposition to re- 
gard these figures as symbols of attendant angels is at 
this time greatly diminished. No passage of scripture 



THE CHERUBIM. 321 

occurs where the cherubim are in any way allied to what 
popular belief now regards as angelic beings. No allu- 
sion to angels that savors, in the least degree, an allusion 
to cherubic symbols ; while in John's vision in Revelation 
the cherubim are clearly distinguished from the angels. 
Another class of expositors make the cherubim typical 
of the ministers of the gospel, or the preachers and ex- 
pounders of the word, both under the Old Testament and 
the New. This is a favorite theory of a voluminous 
English commentator (Dr. Gill), and several others 
coincide with him. He follows out the analogy between 
these hieroglyphic symbols and the ministers of the 
word at great length — their understanding, humility and 
tenderness, as signified in the face of the man ; their 
strength, courage and boldness, as seen in the lion ; their 
labor, patience and diligence, as shown by the ox ; their 
quick sight and penetration into divine things, as shown 
by the keen vision of the eagle. This interpretation he 
applies to the cherubim of the ark ; to those of Ezekiel, 
and also the living creatures of John's revelation. But 
his similitudes are often fanciful and irrelevant, some- 
times puerile. This interpretation is based, in the com- 
mencement, upon a mere presumption, and is sustained 
by no conclusive arguments. "Why should the cherubim 
be made to represent ministers of the gospel more than 
any other class of persons ? If it is because points of 
resemblance can be traced between them, we might as 
well assume they typified the elders of Israel, or the 
workmen of the sanctuary, or Moses himself; for these 
analogies can be traced every-where, and would be as 
conclusive proof in the one case as in the other. As we 
said with regard to the angels so of these, we know of no 



322 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

references in scripture that identify the cherubim with 
the ministers of the word of God. 

A writer in Plumpter's Bible Commentary presents 
another and somewhat novel view of this significance of 
the cherubim. He endeavors to show that the qualities 
generally fixed upon, as royal majesty, powerful strength, 
patient and productive industry, soaring energy, and 
angelic nimbleness of action, and far-sighted vision, are 
not the qualities designed to be represented by the ani- 
mal forms of the cherubim; nor are they designed to 
suggest the thought of powers added to man. 

The wings of the cherubim, he says, are the symbol of 
the wind, and through the wind suggest the thought of all 
inanimate creation. When we turn to the animal faces, 
he continues, there can of course be no doubt but we 
have in them the representative of creation in its ani- 
mated sphere, thus bringing together a symbol of the whole 
creation of God. 

The meaning of these animal faces, he says, is to be 
sought in a direction entirely different from that in 
which it is generally, if not always looked for — not in 
the higher and nobler, but in the fiercer and more terri- 
ble qualities of the animals selected. So, for the ox, he 
would substitute the unmutilated male as emblematic not 
of patient industry, but of strong and fierce rage, sug- 
gestive of a power ready to avenge and punish the in- 
truder; the lion denoting not the majesty, but the terror 
of royalty, bringing before us the thought of an animal 
tearing in pieces his prey when none is able to deliver • 
the eagle, the celerity and swiftness with which he darts 
upon his prey, like swift judgments upon the enemies of 
God. These, then, are the qualities symbolized, he 
thinks, in the animal faces of the cherubim, qualities 



THE CHERUBIM. 323 

that strike terror into the hearts of men ; suggesting a 
destructive force that nothing is able to withstand — sym- 
bolizing the severity, justice and power of God ; the 
rigor and jealousy with which He guards His throne 
and law. 

This certainly represents the cherubim in an entirely 
different aspect from what we are accustomed to contem- 
plate — far from the sweetness, the inviting and encour- 
aging aspect we expect to meet at the mercy-seat. It 
seems hardly worth while to attempt to refute so unpleas- 
ant, perhaps not too much to say, so repulsive a theory 
as this. It hardly seems possible that Jehovah, while in- 
stituting the means to win men from transgression back 
to holiness and Himself — erecting the mercy-seat, the 
place of atonement and reconciliation, would surround 
His throne, the place of His mercy, and the brightness 
of His glory, with such symbolic figures as were contin- 
ually designed to suggest the idea of tempest and storm, 
indignant wrath, and fierce, vindictive retribution. The 
ancient Hebrews understood that mercy was the supreme 
of all the attributes of God. The design of the mercy- 
seat, and all connected with it, was not to terrify with 
the fear of wrath, but to encourage with the assurance 
of mercy. 

Bahr, the representative of the German mind, who has 
written most ably on the Old Testament types, and who 
is more quoted than any other, seems to abandon all 
other views, and sees in the cherubim the representative 
of redeemed men ; or rather of the whole redeemed 
church of God. Many eminent writers follow him in 
this. The cherubim, they say, combined in itself the 
most perfect kinds of creaturely life — an image of the 
creature in its highest form. And where, one asks, do 



324 

we find this creature in its highest form ? Not among 
angels, but in redeemed and perfected humanity — they 
only stand in the Redeemer's blood, of one piece with the 
mercy-seat, as the church is one in Christ — around them 
the glory of the fine gold, over them the effulgence of the 
divine glory. 

The Explanatory Commentary says : " The prevailing 
opinion is that these splendid figures were symbolic, not 
of angelic, but of earthly and human beings — the mem- 
bers of the church of God, included in the dispensation 
of grace — the redeemed in every age. Thus these hiero- 
glyphic forms symbolized the qualities of the true 
people of God — courage, patience, intelligence, activ- 
ity," etc. 

Professor Bush has said as much on this theory, and 
said it as well as any one to whose writings we have 
ready access. He considers the cherubim as adumbrat- 
ing a human, and not an angelic order of beings ; and 
from this he goes on to give his reasons in an ingenious 
argument ; that the symbol involved not only the idea of 
perfected humanity, but the idea of a multitude ; that 
here was a mystic emblem, not only of the great 
congregation of the wilderness encamped about the 
Tabernacle, but one from which it is easy to convey the 
similitude to the great company of the redeemed — 
the real Israel of God that shall ultimately surround 
the throne. 

A modern writer (Atwater), who has given us many 
most excellent things on these themes, expresses this 
idea as clearly as any one. He thinks the cherubim are 
to be regarded as symbols of the glorious qualities, or 
attributes of the Savior in carrying on the great work 
of our redemption, and of the attributes or qualities His 



THE CHERUBIM. 325 

ransomed people will share with Him in the glory of His 
heavenly kingdom — the cherubim are the representative 
of our humanity in its glorious state. The representa- 
tive of creaturely life in its highest excellence, such as 
was found in paradise before the fall, when man lived in 
intimate companionship with God ; and such as there will 
be in the restored paradise of the New Jerusalem — they 
represent the great multitude of the redeemed out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, dwelling 
with God in fullness of life. 

These writers then proceed to draw the comparison 
between these redeemed ones and the cherubic symbols, 
as others have between them and the ministers of the 
gospel — from the lion, the peerless majesty and match- 
less courage ; from the ox, exhaustless strength ; from 
the eagle, celerity and rapidity of purpose — His peo- 
ple sharing with Him in all these glorious qualities 
in the triumphs of His kingdom ; in fact, like Him in 
every respect in which a creature can be like the Creator. 

Now all this is pleasant for the redeemed to contem- 
plate ; and that they shall share in the heavenly qualities 
and perfections of their glorious Redeemer is plainly 
enough taught in the word of God ; but that the cheru- 
bim were types of this class of persons, and of these 
characteristics of the redeemed is entirely wanting in any 
reliable scripture proof. This theory rests upon the 
same kind of arguments, and has no more solid basis than 
the angelic one. It has its foundation in the uncertain 
and disputed derivation of words, and in the analogies 
that can be traced between the qualities of the cherubic 
symbols and the redeemed. To trace out these analogies 
is pleasant and may be instructive, but they prove noth- 



826 

ing conclusive as to the original significance and design 
of the symbols upon the ark. 

At the east of Eden, as the first born sons of men 
gathered at the altar, there were the cherubim and the 
Shekinah — the overshadowing cloud of the divine glory. 
We have reason to believe these symbols continued to be 
used during the patriarchal ages among the sons of God. 
We can not conceive how they would or could have sug- 
gested to them the idea of a redeemed people whose res- 
toration was yet in the future. We can not see how they 
would have suggested any such idea to the people in the 
wilderness as they gathered around the Tabernacle, or 
carried them in the midst of their moving camp. Not 
even Isaiah, or Ezekiel, in their impressive visions, seem 
to have gathered any such lessons from them. Such an 
interpretation must have arisen in far later times, even 
subsequent to John's vision upon Patmos, where, in his 
view of the final triumphs of the gospel, the beasts 
or living creatures — which are understood to be the cher- 
ubim — are represented as joining with the elders and the 
great company of the redeemed in the universal song of 
the redemption and in ascribing glory to the lamb. 

Whatever ultimate design there might have been in 
these mystic figures of the ark as typical, and looking 
forward to a progressive and more advanced work of 
redemption, there must have been an immediate and 
present lesson for Israel — they must have been intended 
to instruct and impress the people among whom and for 
whom they were made, and who daily gathered around 
them in their worship. What did these golden symbols 
say to an inquiring Israelite ? What the general lessons 
they conveyed? 



THE CHERUBIM. 327 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Cherubim — Continued. 

As we proceed with this inquiry let us in part antici- 
pate our conclusion, and see what reasons we have to 
sustain it. Passing all other theories, the cherubim, we 
think, were intended, first and primarily, as symbolical 
aids to exalt in the estimation of the people the grandeur, 
glory and supremacy of the Lord God of heaven and 
earth over all created life and intelligence, and over all 
idolatrous objects of worship. As such they were not to 
be used, and could not be taken as a separate symbol ; they 
have their use and significance only as they stand in con- 
nection with the ark, the mercy-seat, and the Shekinah — 
the throne of God. 

It is generally admitted by all writers on this subject 
that the cherubim of Eden, of the Tabernacle and the 
temple, of the prophets and of John's revelation are of 
the same general symbolical import. What then can we 
learn from these several accounts of these figures in their 
different aspects and relations ? 

The reader then went into an examination of the ap- 
pearance and probable design of the cherubim at Eden ; 
but we have room for only a very brief allusion to his 
statements, which related not only to the establishment 
of worship at Eden, but it was continued through the 
patriarchal ages. 

When man for his sin was expelled from paradise he 
was not doomed bv his Maker to irretrievable ruin. Je- 



6Z8 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

hovah placed at the east of the garden " the cherubim 
and a naming sword that turned every way to keep the 
way of the tree of life." — Gen. iii, 24. The word keep 
here is to be understood not in the sense of to guard 
but to observe ; as blessed are they that keep — observe — 
His commandments. Sword is here used in a figurative 
sense, not as a weapon of vengeance, but to express the 
flashing appearance or convolutions of the fire that ac- 
companied the cherubim, just as the well-known motion 
of a flame folding back upon itself was seen with the 
cherubim of Ezekiel, where the same word is translated 
" a fire infolding itself." One of the Targum paraphrases : 
" He caused the glory of His presence to dwell of old 
at the east of the Garden of Eden, above the two 
cherubim." Jamison says the passage should be ren- 
dered : "And He dwelt between the cherubim, at the east 
of the Garden of Eden, and a fierce fire, or Shekinah, 
infolding itself to preserve the way of the tree of life." 
The symbol of God's presence at Eden was like that at 
the Tabernacle — the cherubim and the Shekinah, or cloud 
of glory. 

The common or popular idea of the cherubim at Eden 
represents them as a kind of angelic beings, stationed at 
the entrance of the garden, wielding an avenging sword 
— figure of wrath and retribution — to deter men from any 
approach to the tree of life. This seems to be an entire 
perversion of the meaning of these significant symbols. 
Their mission was not one of wrath and impediment, 
but of mercy and encouragement ; not to hinder, but to 
aid man in a return to God and the enjoyment of the lost 
paradise. It was the voice of the same God as in the 
Tabernacle, saying : " There will I meet thee, and com- 
mune with thee from between the cherubim." 



THE CHERUBIM. 329 

The symbolism -was the assurance of the presence of 
Jehovah among men — of His glory and universal domin- 
ion. It taught that all created beings — all that was 
-wise and powerful, noble and majestic, patient and endur- 
ing, intelligent and active — the denizens of the field, the 
forest, and the air, -were the workmanship of His hand, 
were beneath His feet, and subject to His will. Above 
them all He set His throne ; they all proclaimed His wis- 
dom, power and glory. 

From the time of the establishment of the cherubim at 
Eden we hear nothing more of them till the erection of 
the Tabernacle. As to whether they were known and 
used during all the long period of the patriarchal ages 
the record is silent. But Ave do know that these fathers 
had their altars, sacrifices, and form of worship ; the 
visits of angels, and communion with God. An early 
distinction was made between sons of God and children 
or sons of men, by which was meant those that served 
God and those who continued to transgress. The devout 
seemed to have established places of worship to which 
they were accustomed to resort, and it would be strange 
if they did not retain the knowledge and use of the 
cherubic symbols. The idolatrous nations seem to have 
retained some knowledge and form of them, though de- 
generated and degraded to profane use, and why should 
not the devout worshipers have retained them in their 
original significance and purity. Noah understood the 
building of altars and the offering of sacrifices, the 
knowledge of which he had brought with him from the 
fathers before the flood. Abraham in his journeyings did 
not forget God ; he was a priest in his own household. 
Israel in Egypt had not only preserved the traditions 
28 



330 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

of Eden's revelations, and Eden's worship, but also, we 
have reason to believe, the emblems and forms that had 
originated there. The cherubim seem to have been no 
novelty among the people in the wilderness ; they went 
about the building of the Tabernacle and its furniture, 
the ark, and the cherubim, and conformed at once to its 
modes of worship, as something to which they had been 
accustomed. 

Isaiah's Vision of the Cherubim. 

We next pass to the vision of the prophet Isaiah. 
Some 750 years before Christ, he was prepared for a 
special mission to the people by a wonderful vision and 
revelation from the Lord, as recorded in the sixth chap- 
ter of his prophecy : " I saw the Lord sitting upon a 
throne, high, and lifted up, and His train — the skirts of 
His robe — filled the temple. Above it, or over against 
it, stood the seraphim ; each one had six wings, 
and one cried to another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of 
Hosts : the whole earth is filled with His glory." 

The identity of the seraphim of Isaiah and the cher- 
ubim of the Tabernacle and the temple, and the cher- 
ubim subsequently seen by Ezekiel, is unmistakable ; why 
the change of name we do not know, unless from their 
bright and fiery or burning appearance, which the name 
seems to indicate. They bore a general resemblance to 
the cherubim ; in part at least they seem to have par- 
taken of the human, for they are represented as having 
a voice, feet, hands, etc., while they performed the func- 
tions of intelligent beings. The whole symbolism cor- 
responds with the mercy-seat, the cherubim, and the en- 
throned glory of Jehovah in the holy of holies. Isaiah 
was familiar with the temple, its symbols, and forms of 



THE CHERUBIM. 331 

■worship, and the whole imagery of his vision was sug- 
gested by his familiarity with these things. It is not to 
be supposed the prophet saw any similitude of God ; but 
Jehovah appeared as in the symbolism of the holy of ho- 
lies, in the Shekinah, or glory cloud. 

Here, then, we learn something of the solution of this 
difficult problem, both as to the form and design of the 
cherubic symbols. The whole symbolism combined was 
intended to exalt Jehovah — to impress the mind with the 
glory, grandeur, supremacy and exaltation of .the Su- 
preme Ruler of all, and to demand attention to His 
word, and the sovereignty of his will. Above the com- 
binations of the highest earthly powers and excellencies 
He sat enthroned ; all these terrestrial things were be- 
neath Him, w T hose burning throne was exalted over all, 
and all with united voice proclaimed : " Holy, holy, holy 
Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of Thy glory. " 

The Vision of Ezekieh 
From the vision of Isaiah we pass to that of EzekieL 
He lived but a short time subsequent to Isaiah, was taken 
to Babylon at the commencement of the great captivity, 
being then it is supposed about thirty-five years of age. 
In this land of his captivity there were vouchsafed to 
him some of the most wonderful visions and revelations 
recorded in the book of God. He was then in the vigor 
of active life ; was a priest, and had lived in Jerusalem,, 
served in the temple, and was familiar with all its sym- 
bols and forms of worship. He must have known the 
position and form of the cherubim, and would at once 
be able to identify any similar forms wherever he might 
see them. His visions of heavenly things, like those of 
Isaiah, were evidently suggested by these temple sym- 



332 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

bols and worship, and take their form and signification 
from them. 

The word of the Lord came unto him in the land of 
the Chaldeans by the river Chebar, and, like Isaiah, he 
had a wonderful vision, in symbols, of the divine majesty 
and glory. There was a cloud, and a fire " infolding 
itself," corresponding to the flame that accompanied the 
cherubim at Eden — and, like to the Shekinah, or glory 
cloud of the wilderness, as it was enthroned upon 
the wings of the cherubim above the ark and mercy-seat. 
Connected with this, and as if emerging from the cloud, 
was the likeness of four living forms, which he calls " liv- 
ing creatures ;" but he tells us afterward he knew them 
to be the cherubim. These he describes as a combina- 
tion of the ox, the lion, the eagle and the man — the hu- 
man form predominating — the faee of each one being 
plainly visible. 

The wheels beneath them were an additional append- 
age to accelerate their motion — for they were moving 
from place to place, suggestive of additional lessons in 
the designs of Providence, and which were not needed in 
their stationary position in the temple. Accompanying 
these cherubim, and above their heads, was the likeness 
of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, and a 
brightness round about as the appearance of fire — simi- 
lar to what was seen by Joshua and the elders of Israel 
when Jehovah revealed Himself to them in the mount, 
as recorded in Exodus xxiv : as the appearance of the 
bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the 
appearance of the brightness round about. This, he 
says, " was the appearance of the likeness of the glory 
cf the Lord." — Ezek. i, 28. From this throne, and from 



THE CHERUBIM. 333 

the midst of this glory, he heard the voice of one that 
spake unto him. 

Here again we have a repetition of the symbolism of 
Eden and of the Tabernacle — a repetition of the sym- 
bols of Isaiah's vision in the temple of God. Other 
similar visions were granted to this same prophet at 
other times and places, the accompaniments varying to 
accommodate them to the special designs of Jehovah, but 
all partaking of the same general features — the throne, 
the brightness, the cherubim, and the fire and the glory, 
all intended to impress the beholder with the glory of the 
Divine Majesty, as ruler of heaven and earth — Jehovah ! 
God over all ! 

The long sojourn of the people in Egypt, and their 
contact with idolatry, had tended to give them low and 
degraded views of Deity — to associate his name with cre- 
ated and sensual things. It was necessary to correct 
these views, and give them higher and more exalted ideas 
of the spirituality, purity, dominion and majesty of the 
one living and eternal Jehovah. For this the cherubim 
and its accompaniments were evidently designed. With 
oriental nations it was customary for sovereigns to as- 
sume great pomp and majesty to impress the minds of 
their subjects. As the whole Tabernacle — the reputed 
abode of the Divine Majesty — had the splendor of roy- 
alty, so their mighty Sovereign Himself was veiled in 
splendor, and surrounded with all the accompaniments of 
supreme royalty — the massive gold of the mercy-seat 
His footstool, the golden wings of the cherubim His 
throne, the effulgence of the cloud and the fire round 
about Him. From this royal throne He issued His com- 
mands, and dispensed judgment and mercy. These 
things were all necessary to impress the people with a 



334 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

conviction of the greatness and supremacy of their God. 
They must be made to feel that no human sovereign, no 
created being, could be exalted above Him ; that those 
very animal forms the idolatrous nations had deified, and 
to whom they built altars and temples, were no gods ; 
they were only the creatures of His power who sat en- 
throned above the cherubim — they were only the sup- 
porters of His throne, ministering to His glory ! 

These views are strengthened by further illustrations 
from the visions of the same prophet, for which we have 
not space even for a synopsis — especially where he saw 
the cherubim and the cloud of glory depart from the 
temple, because of the idolatries and abominations of 
the people ; and when, subsequently, the cloud of glory 
went up even from the cherubim (Ezek. ix, 13). When 
the Shekinah, the symbol of Jehovah's presence, had de- 
parted — gone up from the wings of the cherubim — the 
golden symbols in themselves were nothing : they had no 
longer power to save — swift ruin followed to both city 
-and temple. 

John's Vision of the Cherubim. 
The last account we have of these cherubic symbols is 
some 650 years after Ezekiel, and nearly sixty-five years 
after the crucifixion of our Savior, given by the apostle 
John in his vision upon the island of Patmos. The sim- 
ilarity of his parabolic figures to those of Ezekiel and 
Isaiah leave no doubt but he was familiar with the 
writings of these prophets. He makes use of the same 
kind of symbolism to represent the dominion, glory and 
majesty of God, in the establishment of His reign on 
earth in the final triumph of the gospel of Christ. Eze- 
kiel, as we have seen, saw the ruin that was settling 



THE CHERUBIM. 335 

down upon Judah and Jerusalem. He saw the cherubim, 
the throne, and the glory of God depart from the temple,, 
the signal of its final destruction. He saw also in sub- 
lime vision the return from captivity, and the temple re- 
built, and the re-establishment of the worship and bless- 
ing of Jehovah. 

But Tabernacle and temple were only types of things 
in the future — shadows of better things to come. Tem- 
ple, priests and altars, all fulfilled their mission, and 
gave place to Him that was to come. A Lamb stood on 
Mount Zion ; Moses gave place to Messiah. John saw 
in vision the new heavens and the new earth. The spir- 
itual reign of God — the true Shekinah — the kingdom of 
Messiah in brighter glory and broader dominion. He 
looked and, heboid ! a door opened in heaven. A voice 
said unto him : " Come up hither and I will show you 
things that must be hereafter." These things passed be- 
fore him in vision under the same symbolism in part as 
that of Isaiah and Ezekiel. He saw the throne, the jas- 
per, the sardine and the sapphire, the cloud and the fire, 
and the rainbow hues of glory. — Rev. iv, 3. The living 
creatures of his vision are almost identical with those of 
Ezekiel. He saw them in the midst of the throne, amid 
the glories of the spiritual temple. They were com- 
pounded of the same animal forms : there was the face 
of the lion, the ox, the eagle and the man, and, like the 
cherubs or seraphs of Isaiah, they had six wings, and 
like them in occupation they cried : " Holy, holy, holy 
Lord God Almighty." 

In connection w T ith these there was much additional 
symbolism that, under the temple administration, would 
have had no significance, and that seems now to be intro- 
duced to illustrate the new order of things in the en- 



336 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

larged and spiritual reign of God. Round about the 
throne were four-and-twenty seats ; upon these were four- 
and-twenty elders, clothed in white raiment, with crowns 
of gold upon their heads. The significance of this can 
be readily explained. The elders of Israel were accus- 
tomed to assemble as the representatives of the nation. 
In explanation of this Maimonides says : " It is not pos- 
sible that a man's offering should be offered up. and he 
not stand by it ; but the offerings of the congregation 
are the offerings of all Israel — and it is not possible that 
all Israel should stand in the court in the time of sacri- 
fice. Wherefore the former prophets ordered that they 
should choose out of Israel men that were fit and- feared 
sin, that they might be the messengers of all Israel to 
stand by the offerings ; and these are called men of sta- 
tion ; and they divide them into twenty-four stations, ac- 
cording to the number of the course of the priests." 
This custom, as well as the common one of representing 
the tribes on special occasions by the elders of the peo- 
ple, seems to have suggested the symbolism of this part 
of the vision. As the elders of Israel assembled as the 
representatives of the nation, so here the elders round 
about the throne, on the twenty-four seats, may be taken 
as the representatives of the whole great company of the 
redeemed. Within this circle of elders, thus represent- 
ing the whole great company of spiritual Israel, and 
close about the throne, their common and appropriate 
place, were the cherubim. 

We imagine the cherubim are introduced here, not to 
repeat the early lessons of Israel's education when it 
w~as necessary to correct their low and materialistic ideas 
of Deity, for the people had now come to understand 
more clearly the spirituality and infinity of Jehovah, but 



THE CHERUBIM. 337 

because it was a common and familiar symbolism by 
which they had been accustomed to express the greatness 
and glory of Jehovah over all created things. Now, 
too, another character is introduced, to whom the multi- 
tude must learn to ascribe glory, honor and dominion. 
There was not only the glorious throne of Jehovah, but 
in the midst of the throne was the Lamb ! Here we see 
the important reason of this ecstatic vision — it is the 
introduction of the Lamb — symbol of the atoning Son 
of God — whose glory must be exalted. "And I beheld, 
and lo, in the midst of the throne stood a Lamb as it had 
been slain ; and when he had taken the book — the sealed 
book which no mere man was able to open — the cherubim 
and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, 
having harps of gold and vessels full of odors, and they 
sung a new song : Thou' art able to take the book and to 
open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, 
and people, and tongue, and nation ; and hast made us 
unto God kings and priests ; and we shall reign on the 
earth." 

It is not to be supposed that the cherubim shared in 
this song as a part of those actually redeemed from sin, only 
so far as humanity was represented ; for this song be- 
longed to the elders and the great company of the redeemed 
they typified ; the living creatures shared in this song as 
the partakers of the universal blessings that came in 
some part to all the creatures of God. The great 
design of the parable is to exalt and glorify God and 
the Lamb ; to show the rejoicing in the final establishment 
of peace and universal good will on earth ; blessings in 
which not only redeemed men participate, but in which, 
29 



338 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

to a great extent, all creation share, for all are made bet- 
ter for the ransom. 

Then, following this doxology begun by the redeemed, 
comes the universal chorus resounded and re-echoed by 
the whole creation : "And I heard the voices of many 
angels round about the throne, and the cherubim, and the 
elders ; and the number of them was ten thousand times 
ten thousand and thousands of thousands ; saying, 
with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to 
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature 
which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 
and such as are in the sea, heard I, saying : blessing and 
honor, glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon 
the throne and unto the Lamb forever." And to all 
this the cherubim, as the representatives of the highest 
excellencies of all created things, responded — Amen ! 

We do not understand this vision as descriptive of the 
final state of things in the heaven of heavens, the final 
abode of the blest. In these revelations, the apostle is 
giving us, in intricate parables — in high poetic imagery, 
often difficult to be understood — the revelation of things 
to transpire on earth in the struggles, conflicts and com- 
motions among the nations, that would attend the prog- 
ress of the gospel ; the final establishment of the king- 
dom of Messiah, and the reign of God among men. 
But what particularly concerns us in this inquiry is the 
part the cherubim bear in these grand purposes of God. 
In the final abodes of the blest, the eternal mansions in 
the heavens, the cherubim will have no mission. We 
shall see God as He is in the purity of His holiness, the 
brightness of His glory, and the grandeur of His omnip- 
otence. We shall know without the aid of figures and 



THE CHERUBIM. 339 

symbols the realities of the unseen things. It was in the 
church militant the cherubim had their mission and sig- 
nificance. 

And now of all this what is the conclusion? The 
cherubim were symbols of the highest forms and perfec- 
tions of creaturely life, but they were not symbols of the 
Creator and His attributes. They did not stand for the 
angels, for they were specially distinguished from them. 
They do not represent the redeemed, for these were sym- 
boled by the elders about the throne. Their lessons are 
the same in all the various relations and aspects in which 
we have seen them. In the Tabernacle and temple, as 
mute images, they exalted and glorified Jehovah, who was 
enthroned above them. In the visions of the prophets, 
when endowed with vitality — living creatures — with form 
and voice, they glorified Jehovah, beneath whose throne 
of light and fire they spread their wings. In the visions 
of John, as seen in the spiritual temple and kingdom, 
they joined their voices in the ascriptions of praise to 
exalt Jehovah and glorify the Lamb, beneath whose 
throne they waited and adored. Their mission was a 
high and hallowed one, and with reverential fidelity they 
obeyed. 

As we have in their combination the highest forms and 
perfections of all creaturely life, so we are taught that 
when we have gathered in one all the highest excellen- 
cies of the broad creation — of the field, the forest and 
the air ; the wings, the strength, the speed ; the keenness 
of vision, the intelligence, the patience, the endurance, 
the dominion — we have not God, but the creatures of 
God. From Him they came, by Him and for Him they 
live ; above them in grandeur incomprehensible and 
glory inconceivable, veiled in clouds, and dwelling in 



340 

light unapproachable, Jehovah plants His throne. He is 
over and above all, among all His works, His sovereign 
will, and all unite to reverence, adore and glorify His 
name ! 

The cherubim of the Tabernacle and the temple was a 
perpetual rebuke to the idolatry of the nations — an ex- 
pressive symbolism continually saying : make to your- 
selves gods of beasts and fowls and creeping things of 
earth ; build to them temples and altars ; they are no 
gods ; they are but the creatures of Him who sets His 
throne high above them all, in light and glory. Created 
by His power, they live by His consent ; they go and 
come at His bidding, waiting ever in His sanctuary in 
adoring reverence ; all subservient to His glory ; all to 
share in the final restitution, and to unite in the final 
ascription of praise : " Holy, holy, holy Lord God Al- 
mighty, the whole earth is full of Thy glory." Such ap- 
pears to be the mission and the lesson of the cherubim. 

"Amen, and amen ! " responded Ben Achmed, " it is 
the grand anthem of the psalmist written in symbols : 

' ' ' Praise ye the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights ; 

Praise Him all ye angels; praise ye Him all His hosts; 

Praise Him sun and moon; praise Him all ye stars of light; 

Praise Him ye heavens and ye waters that be above the heavens; 

Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps ; 

Fire and hail, snow and vapor; stormy wind fulfilling His word; 

Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; 

Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl ; 

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is 

excellent ; 
His glory is exalted above the earth and the heavens.' Ps. 148. 

" God, one and eternal, give ear to our prayers, 
grant our petitions, be pleased with our adoration, ac- 



THE CHERUBIM. 341 

cept graciously our thanksgiving, for Thou art our hope, 
our rock, our light, in time and eternity. Thy law is our 
pillar of cloud in the pathless wilderness of our earthly 
pilgrimage, and Thy heavenly promise is our pillar of fire 
in the dark hours of trial, of misery, and of death. Thy 
loving kindness is our Tabernacle of peace, Thy light and 
truth the mighty wings under which thy humble children 
seek shelter and protection. As Thou didst shield Thy 
people in this wilderness with Thy majestic power, so 
shield us this night from every danger. Guide us in all 
our searchings after the truth of God. Let Thy light 
break through the cloud and drive the darkness of ig- 
norance from our minds. Bless God, and be with us 
in the Tabernacle of Thine honor. Thou hast blessed us 
at Thine altars, as we have sought the blood of atonement, 
and our prayers have ascended with the fragrant incense. 
Unfold to us the lessons of the ark and the mercy-seat, 
and make the stretching out of the wings of the cherubim 
a covering of truth. Make us pure in heart and holy in 
life, walking blameless in all thy holy commandments 
until Thou dost bring us into the eternal temple. 
Blessed art Thou, eternal Jehovah, revealing Thyself 
in cloud and fire over the mercy-seat and cherubim ; ex- 
alted above all created things, the whole earth is full of 
Thy glory ! Amen." 



342 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

The Dedication — Faith in Messiah. 

The conversation upon the cherubim had excited a 
deeper interest in all that related to the most holy place. 
On their way for a second visit, they lingered for rest 
and refreshment by a copious fountain of pure water that 
burst from a cleft in the granite rock at the base of Sinai 
just above their tents. Here, under the shadow of a pro- 
jecting cliff, they found protection from the increasing 
heat of the sun, and the conversation was continued upon 
the dedication of the Tabernacle and the descent upon it 
of the cloud of glory. 

The time spent in the building of the Tabernacle was 
about six months. Bezaleel and Aholiab worked under 
Moses, and Moses had his commands from God, and they 
were all careful to make every thing after the prescribed 
pattern. So should it ever be in the spiritual building. 
How pleasant to see the church of God all harmoniously 
engaged in the great work of rearing the spiritul Taber- 
nacle — all inspired by the same spirit ; all working in 
harmony under the direction of the same wise Master 
Builder ! Thus the great spiritual building will rise in 
beauty and majesty, the blessing and admiration of the 
world. 

On the first day of the first month of the second year after 
leaving Egypt, all things were in readiness for the 
erection of the sacred structure. The boards and pillars 
were set in their silver foundations ; the supporting bars 



THE DEDICATION. * 343 

passed through the golden staples ; the beautiful curtains 
of gorgeous hues were spread above, and the tent covered 
them. The inner and outer veils, with their lavish adorn- 
ments, were suspended from their golden hooks ; the pil- 
lars and curtains of the court were put in place, and the 
great brazen altar and laver placed within it. The table, 
candlestick and altar of incense were set in the holy 
place ; the ark, mercy-seat and cherubim were brought 
within the inner veil, and set with due solemnities in the 
holy of holies. The victim was brought to the altar of 
burnt-offering, and the fire from heaven descended upon 
it ; the lights of the golden candelabrum were set in order, 
and incense burned on the golden altar. Aaron was ar- 
rayed in his golden vestments, with the crown of gold 
upon his head, inscribed " Holiness to the Lord." All 
pertaining to the heavenly structure received the 
sprinkling of blood and the consecration of the holy 
anointing oil. All things were now in readiness for the 
Lord God of Israel to take possession of the stately hab- 
itation, and enshrine Himself in glory. 

The marvelous cloud was now to occupy its prepared 
resting place. For weeks after the giving of the law it 
had hung in solemn grandeur over the mountain top ; 
afterward it had descended and stood at the entrance of 
Moses' tent of audience. — Ex. xxxiii, 9. Lifting itself 
from its resting place it stood in majestic dignity over 
the hallowed place. The whole Tabernacle was first en- 
compassed in its ample folds, and its luster filled the 
whole interior, where so bright was the glory Moses was 
not able to enter. From this it was contracted into 
smaller compass in the most holy place, where, slowly 
settling down, the ark and mercy-seat became the foot- 
ttool,and the outstretched wings of the cherubim its high 



344 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

throne, while the whole place was filled with the resplend- 
ent glory of God. The sacred vessels, the golden pillars, 
the magnificent drapery, were all ablaze with the dazzling 
radiance, yet like the bush of Moses while they burned r 
they were not consumed. 

" What a New Year's celebration ! " exclaimed Jason, 
" such another the world has never seen ! Would that 
every opening year might be crowned with such 
solemnities." 

Thus the inner sanctuary became the immediate dwell- 
ing place of Jehovah, and from this the cloud no more 
wandered only as it became necessary to guide the mov- 
ing camp of Israel. The people had obeyed the in- 
junction, " let them make me a house that I may dwell 
among them," and Jehovah had taken possession of the 
holy habitation. To conclude the ceremonies, Aaron 
lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. 
And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. — 
Lev. ix, 22. " 

" Well has one said," continued Jason, " the moment 
the solemn, though welcome spectacle was seen, a simul- 
taneous shout of joy and gratitude burst from the as- 
sembled congregation, and in the attitude of profoundest 
reverence they worshiped a present Deity. The cloud 
covered and the glory filled — the Lord is round about His 
people for a defense, and a glory in the midst." 

"A present God," said Achmed, " precious thought [ 
How often we look for Him a great way off, when His 
very glory is over us and around us. Why should our 
eyes be holden ? I love to think of the heart as an actual 
temple of Jehovah — an abode of the blessed Shekinah. 
I remember the vision that filled my soul when I stood 
under the light of the golden candelabrum ; I felt that 



THE DEDICATION. 345 

that Jehovah who moved in radiance along these mountain 
pathways, and dwelt in the light in the inner sanctuary, 
was sending rays of glory into the inner temple of my 
soul/' 

" We sometimes think,'' said I, " these people had 
greater privileges and more intimate communion with. 
God than we have. But we must remember that these 
were but types of better things to come — theirs the 
shadow, ours the substance. ' The kingdom of God,* 
said Messiah, ' is within you.' 'If a man love me he will 
keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will 
come unto him, and make our abode with him.' In this 
place Jehovah speaks in parables — Messiah opens the 
mysteries. Here the people were afraid of the voice of 
God, and entreated Moses that the word might be spoken 
to them no more. We have greater boldness, and can say : 
' Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth.' ' 

" Here," said another, " Jehovah covered Himself in 
the cloud, and talked with Moses. Moses was anxious to* 
know more — perhaps it was an idle curiosity — so he said 
to Jehovah : ' Show me Thy glory.' i Thou canst not see 
my face,' was the answer, ' for no man can see me and 
live." — Ex. xxxiii, 20. So the Lord hid Moses in the cleft 
of the rock, and covered him with His hand, and as He 
passed by proclaimed the Lord God Omnipotent. Not 
until He had passed did He lift His hand, and Moses had 
only a dissolving view of the vanishing glory. So now, 
should Jehovah show Himself in the fullness of His de- 
signs and purposes, who could abide the sight? Merci- 
fully He hides us in the cleft as He passes by ; sometimes 
moving in mercy, oftener in trials, afflictions, judgments, 
and bereavements — through desert places and weary 
journeyings — but not until He has passed do we see Him. 



346 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

He removes His hands from our eyes, and like Jacob, we 
awake to say : ' The Lord was in the place and I knew it 
not.' We realize the greatness of His power, the wisdom 
of His judgments, the riches of His mercy — we see Him 
as the cloud after the storm, radiant with the bow of 
promise and hope." 

" The cloud," said Ben Achmed, " was one of the in- 
scrutable mysteries of the desert, but Jehovah was in 
it." 

" The cloud," said I, " thou hast shown us was the 
Memra, the Word of God. The Word was made flesh, 
and dwelt among us. To Israel He was arrayed in a gar- 
ment of flesh; but though shrouded in impenetrable 
mystery He came a light into the world." 

" God manifested in the flesh," said Ben Achmed, as if 
speaking to himself. " Deep, how deep are the mysteries 
of redemption. The Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost, 
Who by searching can find out God ! " 

" Thou canst not penetrate the mysteries," said I. " In 
the shadow of these obscurities hast thou no doubts ? " 

"Doubts of what?" responded Ben Achmed. "I 
helieve in God the Father Almighty — I have no 
doubts. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among 
us, and men beheld His glory. To such as believed on 
Him He gave the prerogative to be children of God. 
The law was by the hand of Mosheh ; the plenitude 
and grace by the hand of Jesus Meshiah. Why should 
I doubt?" 

" In the incarnation are many mysteries," I replied. 

" Secret things belong to God," continued Ben Achmed, 
" revealed things are ours ; I have no vocation behind the 
revelation. How this cloud over the camp of Israel en- 
shrined divinity I can not tell ; that Jehovah was in it I 



THE DEDICATION. 347 

can not doubt. How the Son was divine I may not be 
able to comprehend. I am a pupil ; I sit at the feet of 
the great Teacher. But still, ignorant as I am, I catch 
visions of unutterable truths too high, too deep, too vast 
for human reason to fathom. I can not break the cloud, 
but I see the glory shining through." 

"A child came to his parent and said : ' Father, why 
do you do this, and what is that for ? ' And the father 
said : ' My child I can not tell you. Wait till you are 
older ; then you can know.' The father could not tell 
the child, if he would, for the child had not yet capacity 
to understand it. If such is the case in the small degree 
that separates the father from the child, what of the 
infinite reach between us and Jehovah? There are 
things God could not tell us if He would, for we have 
not capacity to comprehend them. We must wait till we 
are older." 

" When men attempt to explain," said I, " they often 
perplex. Like Job's friends, they often darken the coun- 
sel by words without knowledge. The word of Jehovah 
is a lamp and a guide." 

" When I was in doubt," said Ben Achmed, " and full 
of questionings, men said to me : ' Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.' I said : 
4 What shall I believe?' and when I was perplexed by 
human teachings, I came to this simple word " — laying 
his hands on his Syriac Testament — ' and like a refin- 
ing fire it burned away the dross of my doubts. I 
read how on one occasion Messiah was alone with His 
disciples and He asked : ' Who do men say that I, the 
Son of man, am ? ' ' Some say that Thou art John the 
Baptist; others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah or one of 
the prophets.' ' But whom say ye that I am ? ' Peter 



348 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

answered for himself, and I supposed for the other disci- 
ples, L Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God! 9 
With this simple declaration of faith, Jesus was satisfied. 
It was all He asked. He did not load it down, as many 
men do, with a burden of questions, and explanations, of 
dogmas and tenets. ' Blessed art thou, Simon Bar Jonah, 
ilesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My 
Father which is in heaven.' — Mat. xvi. So John in 
his teachings was satisfied. ' He that believeth that 
Jesus is the Messiah is born of God.' — 1 John v, 1. 
When Philip demanded of the Ethiopian, whom he had 
instructed, a declaration of baptismal faith, he said : 
6 1 believe that Jesus is the Son of God.' Where did 
Jesus or His disciples demand more? This simple 
truth was Jehovah's mighty power for the regeneration 
of the nations. 

" Standing on this foundation truth who dare question 
the perfection of my faith ? Who has a right to thrust 
in my way the refined subtleties and metaphysical ques- 
tionings of theological dogmas — of immaculate conception 
— eternal sonship — divine essences — triune existences — 
and demand my assent under pains and penalties ? It is 
enough that I stand on the foundation of this simple 
demand of the word of God. I believe that Jesus is 
the Messiah, the Son of the living God. When I 
planted my feet in this foundation truth, the rock of my 
unbelief was smitten,, and the waters of salvation gushed 
forth." 

" I do not say," continued Ben Achmed, " that this 
is all ; but commencing here, all that is essential in doc- 
trinal faith ; all that is necessary for love, obedience, 
sanctification and salvation will surely follow. This 
faith in Messiah is the good seed of the kingdom from 



THE DEDICATION. 349 

which springs up, first the blade, then the ear, and then 
the full harvest. The good seed of the kingdom will 
never ripen tares." 

"Amen ! Blessed be God ! " exclaimed Jason : 

" ' On this solid rock I stand, 

All other ground is sinking sand.' " 



350 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Plan of Encampment — The Offering of the Princes. 

As the company were pleasantly seated, they were in 
no haste to leave the place, and the plan of the encamp- 
ment was made the subject of the conversation. 

Moses, in his laws, had shown his wisdom as a legisla- 
tor ; in the plan of the encampment we see his sagacious 
generalship. He seems to have been endowed with a 
marvelous versatility of talent ; a capability of adapting 
himself to every emergency, and meeting with wisdom 
the demands of every department. Skillful military men 
have examined his modes of organizing and arranging 
his great army and the multitude of their dependents, 
and have expressed surprise and admiration at the wis- 
dom of the plan. 

Any one accustomed to these things well knows the 
difficulty of disciplining, holding in order, and especially 
moving large bodies of men. Even an army of a hundred 
thousand needs studied system and careful attention ; 
hut here was an immense army of more than 600,000 
men ; then the Levites, 22,000 more, set apart for the 
special service of religion and the care of the Tabernacle. 
To these were added the vast multitude of women and 
children, young persons, the aged and infirm ; tents, bag- 
gage, cattle — a nation of probably more than two and a 
half millions — all to be cared for, protected and appointed 
their appropriate place. 

The camp was not strictly a military one. In its ar- 



PLAN OF ENCAMPMENT, ETC. 351 

rangement the masses of the people, as well as the men. 
of arms, were considered and assigned their respective 
places. Households of men, women and children, un- 
doubtedly had their tents together ; for it is not to be 
supposed that they encamped hap-hazard, each scram- 
bling for the best place. The whole great camp was ar- 
ranged by exact rule, and so arranged that every tribe, 
division and family knew their places, and all sides could 
be at once defended and protected if an alarm was 
sounded. 

First, Jehovah was their king ; to Him they had built 
a sanctuary and a throne, and He was known as dwelling 
above the ark and the cherubim. The Tabernacle, with 
its sacred deposits and arrangements for worship, in- 
closed within its court of pillars and curtains, occupied 
the center of the grand encampment, and was the first 
object of care and solicitude. In front of this, Moses and 
Aaron with their families had their tents. In the rear 
of the Tabernacle the Gershonites, numbering 2,550 able- 
bodied men, had their camp ; on the right or south the 
Kohathites, numbering 2,750 more ; on the left or north, 
the Merarites 3,200 more. Thus the Tabernacle was im- 
mediately surrounded by the families of Levi, especially 
charged with its arrangement and the ordering of the 
worship of Jehovah. Their first care was for the dwell- 
ing place of Him to whom they looked for protection. 
Blessed is that people of whom God is the Lord. This 
body of 22,000 men must of themselves have formed a 
camp of large extent. The tribe of Levi were especially 
sanctified and set apart for a holy service, and so were no 
longer numbered with the other tribes. They were ex- 
empt from taxation and military duties, but their religi- 
on j services were called " warring a warfare." — Num. 



352 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

iv,- 23, marginal reading. The armed tribes fought with 
literal weapons the opposing enemies of the camp ; the 
battles of the Levites were spiritual ones ; this was their 
warfare. So of all the spiritual children of God, the 
weapons of their warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. 

The other tribes were now arranged around these for 
the best accommodation and defense of the whole. The 
tribe of Levi having been taken out, or set apart, for the 
service of the Tabernacle, the descendants of Joseph were 
divided, and the families of his two sons, Ephraim and 
Manassah, were reckoned as two tribes ; thus the whole 
were still reckoned as twelve tribes without the Levites. 
These twelve tribes were separated into four grand divis- 
ions, of three tribes each. The people were numbered 
for warfare from twenty years old and upward ; the Le- 
vites, for their service, from the age of thirty. On the 
east was encamped the tribe of Judah, and with them the 
tribes of Issachar and Zebulon, numbering in all 186,400 
efficient or able-bodied men, with a division banner known 
as the standard of the tribe of Judah; on the left or 
north was the standard of the tribe of Dan, with them 
Asher and Naphtali, numbering 157,600, also with their 
tribal commanders ; on the right or south was the stand- 
ard of the tribe of Reuben, with the tribes of Simeon and 
Gad, 151,450 ; on the west, the standard of the tribe of 
Ephraim, with Benjamin and Manassah, 108,100. All 
these tribes were each under a regularly appointed prince 
or leader. The standards of the four great divisions 
were named after the principal tribes in each division. 

The whole plan was reduced to a definite and complete 
system. Moses had, some time before this, as we learn 
from the eighteenth of Exodus, upon the advice of Jethro, 
his father-in-law, and to case the burden of his own cares 



PLAN OF ENCAMPMENT, ETC. 353 

and labors, divided the people into companies of thou- 
sands, and hundreds and fifties, and tens, and placed 
over them rulers selected for their wisdom and integrity ; 
men " fearing God and loving righteousness." This was 
done, not only to promote order, but also for the better 
and more prompt administration of justice; smaller mat- 
ters being decided by the inferior officers and more im- 
portant matters being carried to the rulers of the higher 
divisions. This same arrangement was probably con- 
tinued in the ordering of this immense camp. Around 
and under the four great division standards every tribe 
had undoubtedly its own banner, and every smaller divis- 
ion of thousands, and hundreds, and families, had their 
own distinguishing ensigns or flags, like the regiments 
and companies of a modern military encampment. Every 
man was peremptorily commanded to pitch by his own 
standard, by the ensign of his father's house. Thus 
every family, and every man even, of all this numerous 
host, knew his place, and if necessary could easily be 
followed and found. God is not a God of confusion, but 
of order. There could be no order only as the commands 
of God were respected, and every man was willing to 
know and abide in his place. So it will always be in 
every well regulated community. Every man must be 
obedient to the properly constituted authority. The 
powers that be are ordained of God. Blessed are the 
people when rulers are men like those appointed by 
Moses — able men, fearing God ; men of truth, hating 
covetousness, and all the people are found obedient to 
law. 

The writers of the Talmud assign to the banners of 
each tribe an emblem or device ; as to Judah a lion ; 
30 



354 HAxM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Zebulon a ship ; Benjamin a wolf, and so on. Others 
again suppose that of each tribe to have been the color 
of the stone inscribed with the name of that tribe in 
the breast-plate of the high priest. Color would cer- 
tainly have been the surest method of marking the dis- 
tinction, but as the Bible is silent upon these devices 
and inscriptions, they can only be a matter of conjecture. 

The command of God to these tribes was " to pitch 
afar off about the Tabernacle of the congregation." 
From the Tabernacle, with the camp of Levites inter- 
vening, it was probably a mile or more to the first line 
of the great encampment. Josephus tells us the nearest 
approach the people were allowed to make to the ark, ex- 
cept in their worship, was two thousand cubits. 

The camp was not strictly a military one. It was the 
encampment of the whole people ; more like a great city 
where kindred and families were encamped, and house- 
holds occupied their respective tents. It is calculated 
the entire camp would be at least twelve miles in circum- 
ference. But when we add to the six hundred thousand 
men, enrolled for military service, the women and chil- 
dren and persons of all classes, with their equipments, 
baggage, and necessary supplies, it would seem to require 
even a greater extent of territory than that. As they 
do not seem to have been restricted to any prescribed 
limits they could enlarge their camp at pleasure, so far 
as was consistent with their convenience and safety. It 
is supposed that every man pitched his tent with the en- 
trance open toward the center of the camp, so that the 
pillar of cloud was at all times in sight and its move- 
ments could be known. " Unto Thee shall all people 
look." " I will set the Lord always before my face." 
Thus encamped the nations were upon all sides of the 



PLAN OF ENCAMPMENT, ETC. 355 

Tabernacle, and from the four quarters they went up to 
the sanctuary. So in the better dispensation they shall 
come from the east and from the west and the north and 
the south, and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and 
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 

The accompanying diagram will give the reader, at a 
glance, a better idea of the arrangement of the camp 
than any mere verbal representation. A full description 
may be found in Clark's notes on Numbers, second 
chapter. 

To the ordinary spectator, this grand encampment 
must have presented an impressive and imposing sight, 
commanding the admiration of friends, arousing the fear 
of enemies. It was the grandeur and stateliness of such 
an encampment that Balaam looked down upon from the 
high places to which Balak brought him, that he might 
curse Israel. How could he curse whom God had 
blessed ? " There is no enchantment against Jacob, 
neither is there any divination against Israel." Under 
the impulse of the divine inflatus, he exclaims : " How 
goodly are thy tents, Jacob, and thy tabernacles, 
Israel ! As valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by 
the river side ; as the trees of lign-aloes which the Lord 
hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters." — 
Num. xxiv, 2-6. 

If we make this chosen people a type of the great 
spiritual army of God, in their great migration to the 
heavenly Canaan, what a lesson is here ! These grand 
divisions of the great army surrounded the ark of God 
and united for its protection and defense. So should it 
ever be with the hosts of God's elect — different divisions 
there may be, and each may be marshaled under his own 
standard, but if united for one grand purpose, this will 



356 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

detract nothing from the power of their conquests and 
the glory of their triumphs. Envyings, enmity and 
contentions should all be laid aside ; all should stand 
confederate for the defense of the faith and the pro- 
tection of the ark of God. With one heart and one 
purpose, all striving for the unity of spirit and the 
bond of peace. Then the cloud of glory will rest 
upon the camp and no enchantments can prevail 
against the Israel of God. 

The Offerings of the Princes. 

The Tabernacle completed, and the camp set in order,, 
there followed a national protracted thanksgiving, accom- 
panied by numerous donations from the princes or heads 
of the several tribes, for the service of the newly com- 
pleted residence and throne of their king. It was an 
occasion of great rejoicing among the people, and their 
thankfulness took a practical turn, and manifested itself, 
as it always should on such occasions, by commendable 
acts of liberality. The structure had been dedicated, 
as houses of worship always should be, free of debt, and 
now freely the people would provide the means of its 
maintenance. 

The account of these festivities is found in the seventh 
chapter of Numbers ; they occupied twelve days ; each 
prince and tribe having a day. The time was protracted 
that there might be no seemly hurrying and confusion, 
and that there might be full opportunity for the enjoy- 
ment of the social and festive pleasures of so unusual an 
occasion. The labor of building the Tabernacle was 
over, and the people had abundance of leisure time. 
It was a wise thought on the part of Moses to keep 
them usefully employed. We do well to turn our sea- 



PLAN OF ENCAMPMENT, ETC. 357 

sons of rest and recreation to a pious account. How 
often they become temptations to indulgence and excess ! 
Industry and virtue are twin sisters, while indolence and 
vice do often walk hand in hand. 

The Tabernacle was a portable structure, and was to 
accompany the people in all their journeyings, and in 
every protracted season of rest was to be erected in the 
midst of their camp. Jehovah was their protector, and 
they were careful to honor His sanctuary. 

Among the larger and more important of these contri- 
butions were six covered wagons and six yoke of oxen. 
Each of the twelve princes furnished an ox, and two 
united in the gift of a wagon. These were to be used in 
transporting the coarser and heavier materials of the 
sanctuary. 

These gifts, though spoken of as the donations of the 
princes, were probably furnished, in part at least, by the 
people, the head of the tribe acting as their representa- 
tive in the presentation. Rulers often get the credit of 
great liberality, when the people are really the source of 
the supply. It is, however, a good thing to see rulers 
engaged with the people in the service and worship of 
God. Those who have wealth, influential position and 
authority should always be ready to do and contribute 
as God hath blessed them, and to set the example of 
promptness and liberality in all good things, and espe- 
cially in the maintenance of morality and religion. Sup- 
plies for the house of God and the promotion of holiness 
are continually needed. One generation built the Tab- 
ernacle; their children and children's children must con- 
tinue their contributions for its support. God's house 
should be honored by prompt and cheerful offerings ; we 
<re never to be weary in well doing. 



358 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

Besides the oxen and wagons, these donations consisted 
of silver chargers or waiters, basins, gold spoons, flour 
mingled with oil for the mincha, animals for sacrifice at 
the great altar, and incense for the golden one. Each 
head of a tribe brought a large silver charger weighing 
130 shekels and one silver bowl of seventy shekels ; both of 
these full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offer- 
ing ; one golden spoon of ten shekels weight filled with 
incense, one young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the 
first year for a burnt-offering ; one kid of the goats for a 
sin-offering ; two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five 
lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offering. 

These offerings were presented by the princes in pre- 
cisely the same order in which they were encamped 
about the Tabernacle ; beginning on the east, the tribe of 
Judah led the way, then the two tribes encamped with 
him under his banner, then the tribes on the south, then 
on the west, then on the north. 

Each tribe presented the same kind of offering in 
quantity and quality ; to show, one says, that as each 
tribe was equally indebted to God, so each should signify 
an equal source of obligation. These offerings were pre- 
sented by the princes, each on his appointed day, with 
due solemnity and ceremony. The value of the gold and 
silver thus presented amounted to about $1,500 ; the 
whole number of animals presented was two hundred and 
sixty-two. 

On the seventh day the prince of the house of Ephraim 
brought his offering. Some have raised an unnecessary 
objection here that this was not in accordance with the 
strict observance of the Sabbath day. By the seventh 
day here is not meant the seventh day of the week, or 
the Sabbath, but the seventh day of the offerings. One 



PLAX OF ENCAMPMENT, ETC. 35!) 

Sabbath, or even two, might have occurred within the 
twelve days of the offerings, and would, if the offerings 
had commenced on any day of the week later than Tues- 
day. In such case the days of the offerings would be 
numbered from one to twelve, counting not the Sabbath 
days, but the days on which the offerings were made. 
Then there is no necessity of understanding that the 
days of the offering were continuous, one immediately 
following the other ; there might have been an omission 
of one or more days for rest or other business. The fes- 
tival was a religious one, but there were duties and serv- 
ices connected with it that might not have comported 
with the sanctity of the Sabbath day. 

The peace-offerings were to be eaten on the same day 
they were presented. Two oxen, five sheep, five goats 
and five lambs made an ample feast for each day. In 
these offerings all the people had an interest ; the feast 
was one of joy and thanksgiving; the poor and the rich 
met together, and all rejoiced in one common blessing. 

We find the same order observed in these offerings as 
before mentioned ; the regular gradation by which the 
way was opened for acceptance and communion with 
God. First the burnt-offering, then the sin-offering — 
thus atonement having been made, sin covered, and recon- 
ciliation with God secured, then came the thank or 
peace-offering, which could be eaten w T ith joy and the 
assurance of God's smile and blessing. 

The grand festival was concluded by an interview be- 
tween Moses and the Lord. Moses went into the com- 
pleted Tabernacle, and he heard the voice of One speak- 
ing to him from off the mercy-seat, from between the 
cherubim. No record is left us of what Jehovah said. 
It was probably a token of approbation of what had been 



360 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

done ; accepting the Tabernacle and all the gifts with the 
assurance of His presence and protection. So, always, 
when we have accomplished the will of the Lord, from 
the sanctuary of the heart we shall hear the approving 
voice of the Spirit — the consciousness of acceptance and 
peace. 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 361 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Levites — Cost and Transportation of the Tabernacle. 

The care of the Tabernacle, and the great amount of 
labor connected with its removal, as well as the compli- 
cated ritual of its service, demanded the assistance of a 
large body of men. For this, as we have seen, one whole 
tribe — the Levites — were set apart, and solemnly dedi- 
cated. 

Up to the time of their arrival at Sinai the patri- 
archal order of worship seems to have prevailed. The 
first-born sons were the priests. The eldest son of each 
house inherited the priestly office. 

When the destroying angel went through the land of 
Egypt and slew all the first-born of the Egyptians, Israel 
sat under the protection of the blood of the slain lamb, and 
the destroying angel touched them not. For this reason 
God claimed in an especial manner all the first-born sons 
of Israel. " The first-born of thy sons shalt thou give 
unto me." — Ex. xxii, 29. " Sanctify unto me all the first- 
born." — xiii, 2. 

Instead of taking the first-born sons for the service of 
the sanctuary, which would often have been attended with 
peculiar difficulties, the Lord said to Moses (Num. iii, 12) : 
" Behold I have taken the Levites from among the chil- 
dren of Israel instead of all the first-born, because all the 
first-born are mine ; for on the day that I smote all the 
31 



362 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

iirst-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the 
first-born in Israel." 

In making this exchange there is a singular coincidence 
in the numbers of the two classes. The first-born num- 
bered 22,273, the Levites 22,000. For the 273 of the 
first-born in excess the Lord demanded a ransom for 
each one, of five shekels each, to be paid in money, for 
the use of the priests. — Num. iii, 49. 

In one respect the entire Hebrew people might be con- 
sidered as a sacerdotal race ; chosen of God, and set 
apart from the Gentile world ; the visible church of the 
Lord God — His worshipers and witnesses — to whom are 
intrusted for the world's future benefit the oracles of 
divine revelation. For this reason they were called 
" consecrated ones." So Moses was directed to say unto 
them : " If ye will obey my voice, and keep my covenant 
then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all 
people. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, 
and a holy nation." — Ex. xix, 5. 

To the family of Aaron, son of Amram, of the family 
of the Kohathites, was given the priesthood ; while all 
the rest of the tribe were appointed to the more common 
duties of the sanctuary. To Moses, the brother of Aaron, 
and to his children were given no peculiar privileges or 
honors ; they were only common Levites. 

All the members of the tribe of Levi had an ecclesias- 
tical character. Thus they were in a position to act an 
important part in the affairs of the nation. Like the 
clergy among Christian nations, they had great influence 
among the people. They became the assistants of the 
priests in all that pertained to the care and service of 
the sanctuary and the instruction of the people. Priests, 
Levites, and scribes, all through the history of the 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 363 

nation, and even in the days of the Savior, had great 
influence and authority among the people. These Mere 
the persons to " seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, 
and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." 

The common priests went always into the Tabernacle, 
accomplishing its service ; the high priest only was per- 
mitted to enter the holy of holies ; the Levites came near 
and ministered about the Tabernacle, but they might not 
sacrifice, nor burn incense, nor see the holy things of the 
sanctuary till they were covered. No stranger was 
permitted to intrude or mingle among them in their 
services under penalty of death. They were the royal 
guard that waited exclusively on the king — guardians 
around the tent. 

They entered upon their active duties at the age of 
thirty and were superannuated at fifty. From Num. viii, 
24, it appears that they entered upon a kind of novitiate 
at the age of twenty-five. The Rabbins say that they 
began to learn the service at twenty-five ; and, that hav- 
ing been instructed five years, they entered upon their 
more responsible duties at thirty. In later times, as in 
the temple service, when the duties were less arduous, 
they seemed to have assumed a portion of their duties at 
twenty. But in the Tabernacle service, Num. iv, 3, they 
entered upon their active labors, " their warfare " — as 
the margin reads — at thirty. On this, it is said, God's 
service requires the best of our strength and the prime 
of our time. At this age they would have acquired that 
vigor of body, maturity of mind, and strength of judg- 
ment the serious nature of their work demanded. But 
while such period of service was fixed for the Levites, no 
such limitation seems to have been made for the priests. 
For aught that is stated to the contrary they continued 



•364 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WOXDERFUL TENT. 

their ministrations, if able, until death. But in later 
times they seem to have had the same time of service as 
the Levites. 

Definite provision was made for the Levites to re- 
lieve them from secular labor and care ; to allow them 
to devote themselves exclusively to the service of 
the sanctuary. After the age of fifty, though relieved 
from the more arduous and responsible duties, they 
still ministered with their brethren in the Tabernacle, 
"to keep the charge, but did no service." — Numbers, 
viii, 26. 

This restriction as to the time of official duty greatly 
limited the number in actual service. While all the males 
of the tribe numbered 22,000, the number actually em- 
ployed about the Tabernacle was 8,600. 

In the distribution of their work they were separated 
into three divisions, according to the families of the three 
sons of Levi — Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 

The Merarites were the most numerous, and to them 
was given the charge of the heaviest and most unwieldy 
parts of the Tabernacle — bars, boards, pillars, pins, sil- 
ver sockets of the foundation ; pillars, curtains and pins 
of the court, with all the tools used in setting them up. 
To aid them in the transportation of these, four of the 
wagons and four pairs of the oxen donated by the princes 
were placed at their disposal. God gives us strength 
and ability in proportion to the burden assigned. In ad- 
dition to the articles loaded upon the wagons, they must 
have had many things to carry upon their shoulders and 
in their hands. The sockets, each of which weighed a 
talent, were probably borne upon the shoulders. We 
have a specimen of this mode of transportation in the 
case of the deceitful servant of Elisha; when Naaman 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 365 

gave him two talents of silver, he bound them in two 
bags and laid them upon two of his servants to be car- 
ried. 

The Gershonites had charge of the fabrics of the Tab- 
ernacle — the coverings, curtains, cords, the hanging for 
the door of the Tabernacle, and the hangings of the 
court. To these were assigned two of the wagons do- 
nated by the princes. 

The Kohathites had charge of the most holy portions 
of the furniture of the holy and most holy places — the 
sacred ark, the candlestick, table, golden altar, and the 
brazen altar. These sacred things they were strictly for- 
bidden to load upon any wheeled vehicle ; they must be 
borne upon the shoulders of those having them in charge. 

In this service of the Levites, as in the plan of the en- 
campment, every thing w T as reduced to a definite system ; 
every man had his appointed place and duty, and was 
under the direction and charge of the priests, and every 
piece was reckoned unto them by name (Ex. iv, 32), and 
every man knew just where to return his trust w T hen the 
Tabernacle was to be re-erected, that there might be no 
delay or confusion. What a lesson to those engaged in 
the more important spiritual workmanship ! How im- 
portant that every one be found in his appropriate place, 
bearing his appointed burden, and doing his appointed 
work ! 

When the command for the removal of the Tabernacle 
was given, Aaron and his sons immediately went into the 
sanctuary, removed the inner veil from its golden hooks, 
and with it covered the sacred ark and mercy-seat. 
Over this was put a stout covering of badger skins and 
a cloth wholly of blue, and its golden staves, by w T hich it 



366 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

was to be borne, were duly arranged for its transporta- 
tion. 

The show-bread was left standing upon the table, and 
on it was placed the dishes and spoons, bowls and covers, 
and over them spread a cloth of blue, over this a cloth of 
scarlet, the whole protected by a govering of badger 
skins, and the bearing staves put in place. The bread 
was always upon the table, indicative of the continual 
supply in the house of God, in our journeyings as well 
as in our seasons of rest. Grod is always with us and to 
Him we may look for the supply of all our wants. 

The golden candlestick was enveloped in a cloth of 
blue, and, with the lamps, tongs and snuff dishes and oil 
vessels, was put into a covering or bag of badger skins, 
and suspended from a long bar, to be borne upon the 
shoulders. 

Over the golden altar was spread a blue cloth, and 
over that a protection of badger skins, and the staves 
put through the rings ready for removal. 

All the loose implements used about the sanctuary 
were collected, and wrapped in a blue cloth, and protected 
in the same manner, to be borne upon a bar. 

The ashes were removed from the altar of burnt-offer- 
ing, and it was covered with a purple cloth, and over it 
and all its vessels and instruments was spread a covering 
of badger skins, and the staves put into its rings. 

The law prohibiting any person except the high priest 
from entering the holy of holies was, of course, upon 
such occasions, suspended ; but the Levites were not al- 
lowed to go in, or make any approach to the interior of 
the sanctuary, until the holy furniture had been covered 
by the priests ; and on no occasion were they permitted 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 367 

to see or touch the sacred ark any farther than to bear it 
by the golden rods. 

The coverings were intended both for protection and 
to mark the respect and reverence due to the sacred 
symbols. The blue, purple and scarlet coverings were 
emblems of royalty, and denoted the high dignity of the 
symbols and the veneration with which they should be 
regarded. They must not be exposed to the rudeness of 
the winds, sullied by the rain, or tarnished by the sun. 

The sacred furniture duly protected, the Levites at 
once commenced their work, and such were their numbers 
and the strict discipline they were under, it was the work 
of but a few hours to have all in readiness for the march. 

Moving of the Camp. 

Two and a half tc three millions of people marching 
in grand procession through the wilderness ! It was a 
strange and wonderful migration, without a parallel in 
the world's history ! Astonishing sights they had seen 
while encamped at the mount, and wonderful revelations 
they had received ; a great work had been performed, 
and now they must resume their march toward the 
promised land. 

The third month after their departure from Egypt 
they encamped at Sinai ; here they had remained for 
nearly a year under the tuition of Jehovah. On the 20th 
day of the second month of the second year the cloud 
was lifted from off the Tabernacle — the signal for a for- 
ward movement. 

By the direction of Moses two large silver trumpets 
had been made, and by the sounding of these public 
notices were given. The people were taught the different 
signals ; to know when the call was for the assembling of 



368 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

the people ; when it was an order for the forward move- 
ment of the camp, and when it was for war against an 
enemy. These trumpets were sounded also upon their 
feast days, their days of solemnity and gladness. The 
priests only had the charge of them, and there was to be 
great care that the trumpet should give no uncertain 
sound. It is from this we have the figure of sounding the 
gospel trumpet, and the sound of the trumpet calling the 
people to the great judgment. 

When it became necessary to break camp, the cloud 
gave the first indication, and the trumpet sounded the 
order for the marshaling of the standards of the great 
divisions. 

At the first sounding of the alarm, the three tribes 
under the standard of Judah moved forward according to 
their armies. After them came the Gershonites and the 
Merarites with the materials of the Tabernacle. The 
standard of Reuben with his accompanying tribes fol- 
lowed with the tribes of Simeon and Gad. Next the Ko- 
hathites followed with the sacred utensils and the costly 
furniture of the holy place, protected by their royal cov- 
erings. 

Reuben signifies " behold the son." He had the Taber- 
nacle before him and the holy vessels behind him, all 
speaking of Christ the divine Son. The Tabernacle 
went forward, following the first standard, with the stand- 
ard of Benjamin behind it. When the cloud rested, and 
these two divisions were settling themselves in their tents, 
the Gorshonites and Merarites, who marched between 
them, set up the Tabernacle that it might be ready on 
the arrival of the Kohathites with the sacred ark and the 
lioly furniture. We have occasion constantly to notice 
the perfect order and ingenuity of all these arrangements. 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 369 

Surely here was the evidence of wisdom coming down 
from above. 

The standard of Ephraim followed according to his 
armies, with Manassah and Benjamin, while the camp of 
Dan formed the rear. Judah was the strongest and 
took the lead, while the camp of Dan was next in strength, 
and marched in the rear ; thus, in accordance with true 
miliary tactics, the front and rear were most securely 
guarded. 

Thus they left the wilderness of Sinai and made three 
days journey into the wilderness of Paran. Though so 
great a multitude, each man and family had only their 
own tent and scanty effects to care for, and thus the 
removal could be readily accomplished. The people 
moved forward inspired with faith and confidence under 
the assurance of Moses their leader. " Come with us," 
said he to Hobah, " Ave are journeying unto the place of 
which the Lord said, I will give it unto thee." All spir- 
itual Israel are but pilgrims in the wilderness. " Fear not 
for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy God." 
Messiah is their leader ; in Him the promises are yea, and 
amen. They are journeying to a city which hath founda- 
tions, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away. 

They journeyed according to the commandment of 
the Lord ; and according to the commandment of the 
Lord they rested. In all our undertakings we should 
seek to know the mind of the Lord ; under His guid- 
ance only can we expect to be blessed and protected. 
Pilgrims in this unfriendly wilderness, guide us, Thou 
great Jehovah ! 

What the breadth of this great moving multitude was 
we are left to conjecture. They must have covered a 



370 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

large extent of territory to have allowed the front and 
rear portions to have been within a reasonable distance 
of each other. We may imagine Judah taking the lead, 
with Issachar and Zebulon spreading themselves upon 
the right and the left with the women, children and de- 
fenseless ones, with the Levites and Tabernacle within 
their lines ; the other divisions arranging themselves 
somewhat in the same order. Thus the whole might have 
included a breadth of several miles. 

Cost of the Tabernacle, 

A very close approximation can be made of the value 
of the metals used in the construction of the Tabernacle. 
The rigid system of order that was instituted in all the 
work, as well as in the encampment and movements of 
the people, was evidence of the skill and wisdom of Mo- 
ses. Bezaleel, his chief workman, was evidently a man 
of integrity, and was able to render a strict account of 
all that was placed in his hands. A summary of the 
precious metals and other materials that were committed 
to his charge, and how it was used, is found in the thirty- 
eighth chapter of Exodus. Of gold there was 29 
talents and 730 shekels ; of silver 100 talents and 
1,775 shekels ; brass 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. The 
bronze mirrors contributed by the women, from which 
the brazen laver was made, does not appear to be included 
in this estimate. 

Silver, in all these Bible times, appears to have been 
the medium of exchange, and always passed by weight. 
Abraham, in the purchase of the cave of Machpelah,. 
weighed to Ephon the purchase price — 400 shekels of 
silver. Coinage was not introduced until long after- 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 371 

ward. The talent and the shekel were weights, not 
coined money. 

At this late age we little realize the difficulty of ancient 
nations in fixing the standards of values in weights and 
measures. Ar. ong the Hebrews the standards of meas- 
ure originated in the well-known proportions of the 
human body ; as a nail, a hand, a foot, an arm's length, 
etc. So, standards of weights probably originated in 
some well-known objects to which easy reference could 
be made. In England, as late as A. D. 1266, it was en- 
acted by statute that thirty-two grains of wheat, well 
dried, taken from the middle of the stock, should be the 
weight of one English penny, afterward reduced to 
twenty-four grains, and that twenty of these penny- 
weights should make one ounce. Hence our table, twen- 
ty-four grains make one pennyweight, twenty penny- 
weights make one ounce, etc. — the standard by which our 
coin and all gold and silver is weighed. So among the 
Hebrews a gerah, the smallest coin-weight among them, 
was the name of a grain or berry ; twenty of these made 
a shekel ; 3,000 shekels a talent. 

Nominal standards of value have changed from time to 
time. Formerly in England, from the conquest to the 
time of Edward First, the pound sterling was a pound in 
weight. After this it was diminished by parliamentary 
enactment from time to time, until now it is only a nom- 
inal coin, worth less than five dollars, by which it takes 
more than forty to make a pound. But in the values of 
the Tabernacle we have not mere nominal estimates to 
deal with, but the real substantial weights. If we know 
the weight of the shekel or the talent, we can easily de- 
termine the value of all that was used. 

Passing the computation of several eminent Bible 



372 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

students who have given us their estimates, we base our 
calculations upon the latest tables of value. The gerah 
is estimated at about two and one-fourth cents to two 
cents and eight-tenths; the silver shekel fifty-three to 
fifty-five cents. The silver talent is about one hundred 
pounds avoirdupois, or a hundred and twenty-five pounds 
troy-weight. This estimate is varied somewhat by dif- 
ferent persons, but this will be near enough for our pur- 
pose. In making this general estimate of the materials 
of the Tabernacle strict accuracy is not necessary, nor 
indeed is it attainable ; but we can make a close approxi- 
mation to the truth. In calculating the value of the sil- 
ver foundation (Chapter XI), we have counted the silver 
talents, and for this we have good authority, at $1,650. 
The gold talent, taking the relative value of silver to gold 
— one to sixteen — we estimate at $26,400. The amount 
reported to Moses was : 

Gold, 29 talents, 430 shekels $768,030 

Silver, 100 talents, 1,775 shekels 165,940 

Brass, 70 talents, 2,400 shekels (15c. per lb.). 1,170 



$935,140 



Thus we see the metals themselves would amount to 
nearly a million of dollars ! According to the reckoning 
of Arbuthnot and Prideaux it was more than a million. 
This does not include the other materials of the sanctuary 
— curtains, coverings and costly dyed fabrics, the robes 
of the high priest and the precious jewels, dresses of the 
common priests, oils, spices, incense, bread for the table, 
and other supplies ; together with all the skill, labor and 
time employed. The aggregate of all this, without 



COST AND TRANSPORTATION OF TABERNACLE. 373 

reckoning any thing for labor, -would probably amount to 
a quarter of a million more. 

The total weight of the gold, silver and brass used in 
the Tabernacle is estimated at ten and a half tons. Add 
to this the weight of all the other materials — the pillars, 
pins and curtains of the court — the boards, pillars, bars, 
curtains, coverings and furniture of the Tabernacle, and 
we shall at once see the necessity of a large force of able- 
bodied men with teams and wagons to transport it from 
place to place in their migrations. 

Why this Expenditure of Wealth ? 

To impress, it is said, the minds of the people with the 
glory and dignity of the Divine Majesty, and the impor- 
tance of His service, and to take out of their hands the 
occasion of covetousness, they brought much wealth 
out of Egypt. Instead of hoarding for corroding rust, or 
using it for the vain adornment of their person, why 
should they not employ it to glorify the God who had 
delivered them, and by whom they were daily fed ? 

The building of the Tabernacle was a salutary instru- 
mentality in the education of the people. It cultivated 
industry ; it awakened a spirit of generosity and benevo- 
lence ; unloosened the grasp of avarice. It was a work 
eminently calculated to elevate and refine. 

It does not, however, follow that our wealth should be 
expended in the same way. The temples we dedicate to 
the service of God, and to which we come for special wor- 
ship, should be such as to inspire respect, and be in har- 
mony with the cultivation and refinement of the people, 
but no unnecessary wealth should be lavished upon them 
for the gratification of pride and vain show. Our gold 
and silver should not be unnecessarily expended upon 



374 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

the literal structure. The great company of spiritual 
Israel are still building, but the temple is a spiritual, 
and not a literal one. We build the Tabernacle of God 
by bringing men redeemed from sin, living stones, laid 
upon the living foundation, built up a spiritual house to 
the acceptance of God the Father. God has now opened 
avenues for the expenditure of the gold and the silver, 
the time and the talents of all His spiritual children, in 
extending the conquests of Messiah, in rearing the 
spiritual temple of His glory. In this we are to show our 
zeal and liberality as did the people in the wilderness. 
Jehovah makes no provision for hoarded wealth The 
silver and the gold are His, and for Him it should be 
used, and we use it for Him when we feed the hungry, 
clothe the naked, educate the ignorant, and more than 
all when we send the glad messages of salvation to those 
who know not God. Our wealth is a significant instru- 
mentality in the formation of character. It may be so 
used as to dwarf all noble impulses, and make the soul 
like an arid desert, or to enlarge and quicken all the 
generous emotions, and make all within and without a 
garden of delights. If a man hold his treasure as the 
quartz holds gold, only to be crushed out by the hard 
hand of affliction, or the terrible machinery of death, he 
is the worse for its possession. If he holds it, as the rich 
alluvium holds the seed, to be warmed into life, and bring 
generous fruits, its possession will bless his own soul, and 
its magnanimous abundance cheer the hearts of others. 



(SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 375 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Second Visit to the Holy of Holies. 

Again the company stood within the veil and by the 
impressive symbols of the ark. The lessons of the cloud 
and the cherubim were still fresh in the mind, and served 
to deepen the reverence inspired by the sacred place. 
They had felt as they conversed of these things as if 
sitting beneath the overshadowings of the cloud of 
glory and near the immediate presence of God. As 
they approached the sacred ark, Jason was the first to 
speak. 

" Here, enthroned in majesty, rested the mysterious 
glory cloud ! What lessons it brought us as we com- 
muned in the chapel of the burning bush ! Mysterious 
visitant, type of the blessed Son of God ! The Lord is 
as truly with His people now, His presence is as really 
over the assemblies of Zion as when in the solemn dedi- 
cation He took possession of His holy place." 

" Fire and cloud, " said Elnathan, " impressive sym- 
bols of Jehovah's presence ! They suggest, as one has 
said, no debasing views of the divine nature and impute 
to Him no properties of the creature. Here we have 
stood as in the very presence of God, and have realized 
in some measure the fulfillment of the promise, ' I will be 
with thee, and will commune with thee from off the mercy- 
seat behind the veil.' ' 

" Here," said another, " on this massive golden lid 
stood the cherubim, their faces looking toward it and 



376 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

their wings covering it. But cherubim were not made 
for the ark alone ; they were on all the curiously wrought 
curtains ; they were not only beneath the cloud but round 
about it, showing that they had a broader significance 
than merely shadowing or defending the ark or support- 
ing the cloud." 

" I am reminded," said Ben Achmed, " of the words 
of Philo : ' Placed on the ark are the cherubim, who rep- 
resent the creative and royal power. But over them is 
the Divine Word, who does not assume a visible appear- 
ance, nor resemble any thing accessible by sense, but ex- 
isting as the image of God, is the eldest of all things that 
can be known.' " 

"We have studied the mystery," said Elnathan, " I 
can not say Ave have solved it; but certain it is, these 
mystical figures were in some way expressive of the glory 
of God, and the work of redemption, for in such connec- 
tion in all their numerous appearances we have found 
them. But standing among these impressive symbols 
there are other lessons demanding our attention. This 
most holy place was the type of heaven, and here the 
high priest came with 

"The Blood of Atonement" 
Jason led the conversation, and spoke first of the high 
priest : " We have seen how God chose for the Taberna- 
cle service the tribe of Levi. The priesthood was set- 
tled by divine appointment upon the family of Aaron of 
the same tribe. Aaron was high priest, his sons filled 
the subordinate places of the common priesthood.* 

* We can not say that we find positive proof any-where in the Pen- 
tateuch that Moses appointed the descendants of Aaron to be the 
priests forever. It rather appears to us that this dignity was bestowed 



SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 377 

They were solemnly consecrated to the work by the holy 
anointing oil and the sprinkling of blood. A beautiful 
allusion is made to this consecration of the high priest 
by the Psalmist when he would express the excellency 
and blessedness of love and unity among brethren : ' It 
is like the precious oil upon the head of Aaron, that ran 
down upon the borders of his garment.' This holy 
anointing is typical of the extraordinary gifts and influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit. It was in allusion to this 
that Christ, typified by the high priest, is called the 
Anointed One, and unto Him was the spirit given with- 
out measure." 

Holy garments for glory and beauty were ordered to 

on the whole tribe of Levi, one of whom should be high priest and be 
assisted by his sons, one of whom might inherit that dignity. This 
is evident from all passages in Deuteronomy referring to the Le- 
vites, the whole tenor of the whole history of Samuel, and the 
silence of the ancient historical sources about high priests between 
Phineasand Eli, in fact, about priests, while Levites are frequently men- 
tioned, and the expression of Ezekiel pH^ ^ D^fl D^nDflf 
and not HPlK *JD- ^ t a PP ears the hereditary priesthood was intro- 
duced in Israel with the hereditary monarchy. Moses gives the first 
priesthood to Aaron and his sons, or his seed, which does by no means 
say that the third generation should inherit that dignity. Phineas 
(third generation) received the priesthood for partieular merits and 
good services rendered. Where the law adds, DD'HlIll? D/)¥ 
npfT ^ does not necessarily refer to the persons mentioned in that 
connection; it may just as well refer to the law connected with it 
Those conversant with biblical criticism will readily understand the- 
importance of this point. J t does away with a stumbling-block to- 
many modern critics. It deserves a thorough investigation, and we 
hope some one of our learned friends will take up this subject and in- 
vestigate it thoroughly. It i> remarkable that, while in the second 
yoRv after the exode four sons of Aaron are mentioned, none of their 
s ns excert Phineas is mentioned any more. — Rabbi Wise, in Ameri- 
can I h ru elite. 



1S78 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

be made for the priests, and especially for the high 
priest. These were exceedingly rich and magnificent. 
The colors were gay and brilliant, the same as those 
wrought into the texture of the beautiful curtains, and 
were arranged in graceful and striking contrast. They 
were ornamented with elaborate embroidery, and embel- 
lished with gold and jewels. In addition to the robes of 
"the common priests there were four articles that belonged 
exclusively to the vestments of the high priest — the robe 
of the ephod, the ephod itself, the breast-plate, and 
miter or golden crown. The robe of the ephod was 
a plain garment, all of blue, reaching a little below 
the knees. Upon the bottom was a row or artificial 
pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet. Between 
these pomegranates were hung golden bells — first a bell 
and then a pomegranate, then a bell and then a pomegran- 
ate, and so on around the entire skirt of the robe. The 
sound of the bells notified the people in the court of the 
entrance of the high priest into the holy place, and that 
lie was eno'a£ed in his ministrations. Over this was 
worn the ephod, the most elaborate and costly portion of 
the dress. It was a sort of coat, combining all the colors 
of the veils and curtains, beautifully interwoven with 
threads of gold. It was held in place by a magnificent 
belt around the waist, called the golden girdle, and fast- 
ened by straps upon the shoulders, held together by two 
magnificent clasps of onyx stones set in gold, upon 
which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of 
Israel. Over this was worn a remarkable and elabo- 
rately wrought breast-plate, set with twelve brilliant 
.gems, each of which was inscribed with the name of one 
of the tribes of the chosen race. Upon the head was 
worn the mitre or tiara, made to correspond in richness 



SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 379 

and beauty with the other portions of the dress, to 
which was affixed a crown or band of gold, inscribed 
"Holiness to the Lord" — the grand distinguishing badge 
of the sarcedotal office. 

With the attire of the high priest in mind, they still 
lingered around the ark and cherubim, while one of the 
company described the ceremonies of 

The Great Bay of Atonement. 

The great day of atonement, the only day of the year 
on which this inner sanctuary was opened — was the most 
august and imposing of all the solemnities of this Taber- 
nacle worship. It was adapted to impress the whole na- 
tion with a sense of the demerit of sin, as well as the 
holiness, justice and mercy of Jehovah. It was a day of 
national humiliation, repentance and return to God ; 
special confession was to be made, and unusual expiatory 
sacrifices offered. 

The time selected for this great solemnity was the tentli 
day of the seventh month of their ecclesiastical year — 
Tishri — answering to the latter part of our September or 
the first of October. This was the first month of their civil 
year. The official work of the day was committed to the 
high priest alone. On ordinary occasions the common 
priests performed the Tabernacle service ; but on this 
solemn day the high priest was to officiate. The law 
regulating the day is given in the sixteenth chapter of 
Leviticus. This day of fasting and affliction of the soul 
was to be kept from " evening to evening ; " that is from 
the evening of the tenth to the evening of the eleventh day 
of the month — their day commenced at sunset. During 
the whole of this day they abstained from all servile 
work, as much as on the Sabbath, and no food whatever 



380 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

was taken. In modern times the days between the New 
Year's festival and the day of atonement are observed as 
days of special repentance and humiliation. A part of 
each day is devoted to prayer and self-examination and 
for the special exhortation and religious instruction of 
children. 

This tenth day is " Yom Kippur " — Day of Atonement. 
The Jews say the expiatory sacrifices of other days 
atoned for particular sins, and the sins of particular per- 
sons, but the sacrifices of this day atoned for all the sins 
of the foregoing year, and those of the whole nation. 

As a preliminary to these solemnities, a special 
entrance into the more immediate presence of the Lord, 
the high priest must wash his whole body in water and 
array himself in the magnificent golden robes before de- 
scribed. The people assembled in holy convocation 
around the courts of the Lord with fasting and penitence. 
The usual morning sacrifice was then offered, and in con- 
nection with it an additional one of seven lambs — the 
seven indicating, says one, the complete offering up to 
God that was that day to be made, and their complete 
dependence on the atoning blood. 

After this extraordinary sacrifice, the high priest made 
n further special preparation of himself for the proper 
performance of the duties of the day. He divested him- 
self of his robes of glory and beauty in which the morn- 
ing sacrifice had been offered — the embroidered ephod, 
the golden girdle, and the golden belts — again bathed 
his whole body in water, and arrayed himself in a clean sim- 
ple garment of pure white linen. He now approached the 
altar of burnt-offering, bringing with him a young bul- 
lock for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering ; 
both perfect animals, without blemish. The offering of 



SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 381 

these two animals had no connection with the mass of 
the people. They were a special and prescribed offering 
for his own sins, the sins of his family and of all the 
Levites. 

This done he took two yonng goats, furnished by the 
congregation and for the congregation, for a sin-offering, 
and a ram for a burnt-offering, and presented them be- 
fore the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle of the con- 
gregation. Then he was to cast lots upon the two goats, 
to determine which of them should be sacrificed for a sin- 
offering to the Lord, and which should be sent as a scape- 
goat into the wilderness. 

Aaron's bullock for a sin-offering was now slain, and a 
basin filled with the blood ; with this he took a golden 
censer with coals from off the altar of burnt-offering and a 
quantity of the prepared incense beaten very small, and 
with all these reverently approached the holy of holies, 
drew aside the costly veil and stood before the ark of 
God with its holy symbols ! Solemn place ! How im- 
pressive as he stands amid the solemn silence that had so 
long remained unbroken ! He lays the incense upon the 
burning coals and while the clouds of fragrant perfume 
cover the golden emblems, he sprinkles the blood with 
his finger seven times before the mercy-seat. This was 
the blood of his own sin-offering, the atonement blood for 
himself, his family and priestly kindred. He now retires, 
leaving probably his golden censer with the fragrant in- 
cense still ascending to Him who sat enthroned in glory 
above the cherubim. He then goes back to the great 
altar of the court, kills the people's goat for a sin-offer- 
ing, takes a basin of the blood, and again goes within 
the veil, and sprinkles the blood as he did the blood of 
the bullock upon and before the mercy-seat. Whether 



382 I1AM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

any prayer was offered or form of words used we are not 
informed. Probably the very act itself spoke with a 
higher eloquence, an intenser meaning than any human 
language could express. There are times and places 
where silence is more impressive than words. In that 
sprinkled blood was the earnest prevailing eloquence of 
a nation's heart bowed in penitence before God. 

As he retired, with the mingled blood of the bullock 
and the goat, he touches the horns of the golden altar be- 
fore the veil, and then does the same for the whole Tab- 
ernacle of the congregation and the court. It was as if 
even these holy things themselves might have contracted 
defilement from their contact with sinful men and all 
needed the atoning, cleansing efficacy of the blood. Thus 
was atonement made for priests, Levites and people, and 
all the holy things of the sanctuary. The people are 
taught that holiness and purity are essential attributes 
of Jehovah, that His name should be reverenced, and 
though a God of justice and judgment, the penitent 
might have hope in His mercy. 

In these ministrations the high priest must go alone 
into the presence of God. " And there shall be no man 
in the Tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in 
to make atonement in the holy place until he came out, 
and have made atonement for himself and for all the 
congregation of Israel/' — Lev. xvi, 17. 

He now returns to the court of the Tabernacle, takes 
the live goat, lays his hands upon its head, and confesses 
over it all the sins, transgressions and iniquities of the 
children of Israel, " putting them upon the head of the 
goat." The goat was then sent by a man selected for the 
purpose, who led it forth, and turned it loose into the 



SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 38& 

wilderness ; " and the goat shall bear upon him all their 
iniquities to a land not inhabited.' 

The disposition of the sin-offerings is now completed ; 
the f<it is burned upon the altar, the bodies arc carried 
without the camp, and burned. Aaron, now coming back 
into the Tabernacle, puts off the pure white linen robes 
in which he has performed these* august national rites ; 
again washes his whole body in water, and again assumes 
his golden vestments, and the special services of the 
great day of atonement are ended. 

" Solemn day to Israel," said Jason ; " a nation in 
audience with the deity ! The blood of the sin-offering 
taken within the veil ! The high priest stood between 
Jehovah and the people ; the blood of atonement was 
sprinkled upon the mercy-seat ; sin was covered ; God 
and man reconciled ! Lord open our eyes to the glories 
of our great high priest, the solemnity and grandeur of 
his mission, to the real blood of atonement, and access to 
the true holy of holies by the new and living way." 

" Near three and a half thousand years," said Ben 
Achmed, " have passed away since the high priest first 
entered the most holy place with the blood of atonement, 
and to this time the day has never been forgotten or 
neglected by my people. Over the whole world no Jew 
ceases to remember and reverence it. It is annually ob- 
served by solemn and impressive rites. It is to them 
the most solemn and serious day of the whole year, and 
is entirely occupied in the synagogue, besides a service 
on the previous evening. All worldly matters are laid 
aside, a rigid fast is observed by all the heads of families, 
in which younger children often voluntarily join. There 
is a total abstinence from all food, and even drink, from 
evening to evening. They appear in the synagogue 



384 1IAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

dressed in white garments, bemoan their sins, beat their 
breasts, and many sighs and tears accompany their 
prayers. They acknowledge the penalty due their sins 
and seek the forgiveness and favor of God." 

" Aaron, the high priest who ministered at this altar, 9 ' 
said one, " was a type of Messiah, our High Priest, who 
has gone into the true holy of holies to make atonement 
for us. In many things he was like the high priest who 
sprinkled the blood upon the mercy-seat ; in others he is 
set in contrast with him. He is like them in all that is 
essential to a perfect mediation before God." 

" Aaron, as high priest, was called of God, without 
which no man dared to take the honor unto himself. So 
Christ glorified not Himself to be made a high priest, but 
He that said, ' Thou art my son, this day have I begotten 
Thee,' said also, ' Thou art a priest forever after the 
order of Melchisedek ! ' 

" Aaron was a sinful man and encompassed with in- 
firmities, and had need to make atonement for himself, 
as well as for the people. Messiah, in his immaculate 
purity had no need of any expiation for himself; though 
like Aaron taken from among men, he was free from sin 
and in nature allied to Deity. 

" The Jewish high priest had need to renew his offer- 
ings every year. Each returning twelvemonth brought 
the return of the accustomed sacrifices, the confession 
of sin, and the sprinkling of the blood of atonement. 
Messiah, as both priest and victim, made one great offer- 
ing of Himself by which he is able forever to perfect them 
that are sanctified. 

" The Jewish high priest was transient ; performed his 
ministrations for a short time ; death closed his mission 
and made place for his successor. Our High Priest, in 



SECOXD VISIT TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. 385 

life or in death, is subject to no such contingencies. On 
the cross He shed His blood, and with His own blood has 
gone behind the veil, into heaven itself, the true and 
eternal holy of holies, where He ever lives to make inter- 
cession for us. So saith the scriptures : ' Christ has not 
gone into the holy place made with hands, which are the 
figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear 
in the presence of God for us ; nor yet that He should of- 
fer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy 
place every year with the blood of others ; for then must 
He often have suffered since the foundation of the world ; 
but now, once, in the end of the world, hath He appeared 
to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ' — Heb. ix. 

" Christ, in His priesthood, has no successor since He 
lives forever, and no substitute because He is never dis- 
abled. He exercises his office perfectly and continually. 
All these things spoke of Christ. These priestly and 
sacrificial ordinances were types of Him that was to 
come; all were to have their fulfillment in Jesus Messiah. 
This holy of holies was the type of heaven. Between 
the high priest that performed the ministrations of blood 
in this inner sanctuary and our High Priest, who has 
entered into the heavens, there in no antagonism. The 
one was but the prediction, the earnest of the coming of 
the other. So we read in the epistle to the Hebrews : 
' We have such a High Priest, who has taken His seat 
on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens ; a min- 
ister of the sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which 
the Lord pitched and not man.' " — viii, 1. 

" How clearly and beautifully," said Jason, " the 
great truths of the gospel are opening ! Light from 
the overshadowing cloud seems to be shining upon us." 
33 



386 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

" One thing," said Elnathan, " I understand more 
clearly ; the blood of these slain victims could not of it- 
self take away sin. Had they been sufficient they would 
not have ceased to be offered. Thus it is said : ' The 
law having a shadow ot good things to come, and not 
the very image of the things, could never with those 
sacrifices which they offered make the comers thereunto 
perfect.' So Messiah, contemplating his mission into 
this world is represented as saying : i Sacrifice and offer- 
ing thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me.' In 
burnt-offering and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no 
pleasure. Then said I : Lo, I come to do Thy will, God ! 
By this coming we are sanctified through the body of 
Jesus once for all. He was made a little lower than the 
angels for the suffering of death. By that death He was 
prepared to enter into the holy place not made with 
hands ; not by the blood of others, but by His own blood, 
procuring eternal redemption for us." 

" How appropriate," said another, " the words to the 
Hebrews. It behooved Him in all things to be made 
like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and 
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make 
reconciliation for the sins of the people. Seeing then 
that we have a great High Priest that has passed into the 
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our pro- 
fession [confession], for we have not a high priest who 
can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. 
Let us, therefore, come boldly — approach with confidence 
— a throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find 
grace to help in every time of need." 

" A throne of grace ! " said Jason, " such indeed is this 
mercy-seat ! Let us come nearer to it. Here are all the 
overshadowing symbols of Jehovah's glory, majesty and 



SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY OE HOLIES. 387 

power, yet it is not a throne of wrath ! Jesus, our great 
High Priest, has sprinkled it with His own blood, and made 
it a throne of grace. Yes, let us draw near, and stand 
close around it. Here is mercy and plenteous redemp- 
tion. Aaron could make only a transient visit ; our High 
Priest remains forever, bearing upon His breast and upon 
His shoulders the names of all His chosen ones. Come 
with joy and thanksgiving ! " 

" How great," said Elnathan, " the sin that required 
for its expiation the blood of the sinless Lamb of God ! 
Redemption through the blood of atonement ! Now we 
may come to the mercy-seat — freely come — come in the 
consciousness of our sin ; with the burden of our cares ; 
with the trembling pressure of our fears — for it is the 
throne of mercy and grace — a throne rich with spiritual 
blessing ! Mercy-seat, Cherubim, Shekinah ! Never be- 
fore did curtains inclose such significant symbols ; such 
manifestations of divine glory ! " 



388 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Concluding Lessons in the Inner Sanctuary — Ben 
Achmed's Prayer in the Holy of Holies. 

The company had now become thoroughly interested 
in the ark and its golden symbols, and seemed disposed 
to linger in this inner sanctuary, luxuriant with so many 
hallowed associations, and suggestive of such rich spirit- 
ual lessons. They felt, indeed, that they were on hal- 
lowed ground, and not encompassed merely within the 
walls of an earthly temple, but that a greater than the 
temple was there. In their earnestness they pressed 
around the mercy-seat and symbolic throne, and each 
had some inquiry to make or lesson to impart. 

" This," said the Rabbi, " was the oracle, the speaking 
place of the God of Israel. Before it was drawn the 
sacred veil which screened it from all unholy intrusion. 
It was of this place Jehovah said to Moses : ' And I will 
appoint my Word — memra — with thee there ; and I will 
speak unto thee from above the propitiatory, from be- 
tween the two kerubin that are upon the ark of the tes- 
timony, all that I may command thee for the sons of 
Israel.' Here Moses and the high priest came in those 
difficult cases where Divine direction was especially 
needed, and standing without the veil, for they were for- 
bidden to go behind it, inquired of Jehovah; and from 
this the Lord gave answer, and communicated His will. 
It was from this that the Psalmist, in allusion to seeking 



LESSOXS IN THE INNER SANCTUARY. 389 

Jehovah's guidance says : ' I will lift up my hands toward 
Thy holy oracles.' " 

" Yes," said one, " and we may still use the same lan- 
guage, for, as we have seen, we still have not the type, 
but the real mercy-seat, to which at all times we may 
have access, where we can come not only for mercy but 
for divine guidance. Jehovah is no respecter of persons ; 
every sincere, penitent one may come to this mercy-seat 
and find the favor of God. Even the veil has been taken 
away and we have free access to God." 

" One other lesson," said another of the company, " we 
must not forget. When the high priest ministered in the 
court and holy place — offered the sacrifices and burnt the 
incense — he was always arrayed in his rich garments of 
glory and beauty. But on the one great day of the 
year, when he came here to sprinkle the blood and make 
atonement, he was commanded to lay aside his golden 
robes, and arrayed in a simple garment of pure white linen 
presented himself here before the Lord, to sprinkle the 
blood of expiation. How much like our great High 
Priest, who, when He left the heavens and came into 
this world on the great work of redemption laid aside 
the robes of His glory and majesty, and in the plain 
simple garment of His own spotless purity made atone- 
ment for us." 

" Blessed lessons of the sanctuary," said Jason. " In 
how many beautiful and glorious aspects our Savior is 
presented before us ! In these Old Testament figures 
what views we catch of the glorified One ! How could 
we penetrate the mysteries of the Old Testament were it 
not for the light reflected back upon it from the New ? 
Surely the veil has been rent, and the ever-living Savior 



390 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

stands before us in full-orbed splendor, shining like the 
sun in the heavens." 

"And yet," says one, " it is difficult for us to conceive 
of these things — atonement, intercession, redemption, 
reconciliation, pardon — the different offices which are as- 
cribed to the Son of God as both victim and priest ; the 
going in with His own blood, the-abiding in the heavenly 
place. We must remember that with the Redeemer these 
are no longer real and visible acts in a located place 
and before a material mercy-seat and throne. Here in 
this earthly Tabernacle all was literal, and here one act 
followed another in the regular sequence and succession. 
Here in this august sanctuary, at this literal throne and 
mercy-seat, these real acts were only typical — figures of 
great spiritual acts and ideas that would ultimately be 
realized and understood in our spiritual relations to God 
and heavenly eternal things. We are not to think of 
Christ as a High Priest in human form, or of the mercy- 
seat as having a definite location, or the actual sprinkling 
of the blood of a slain victim. We may come with the 
burden of our sin, with a yearning desire for peace and 
pardon, but we have no longer to wait for the tedious 
round of ceremonies that here incumbered the way of ac- 
cess to God. These types and figures aid in our concep- 
tions of Deity, of the mission and mediation of the Son 
of God ; but we have not to go to the Tabernacle or tem- 
ple nor to any specified locality God is every-where ; 
Jesus is a present, all-powerful Savior ; heaven is all 
around us and may be within us. The literal Tabernacle 
and temple have accomplished their mission — altar, vic- 
tim, sprinkled blood, candlestick, table and ark have 
taught us their great lessons. I do not see how men 
could do without them. How else could blind, sinful man 



LESSONS IX THE INNER SANCTUARY. 391 

have been brought to see his own sin — to see God in the 
purity and holiness of His character. How else could 
they have been overawed by His justice ; how else learned 
His infinite mercy and compassion; how to come back 
to Him ? By this dispensation of forms and figures and 
types, we have been taught a great system of spiritual 
truths ; and now the veil has been lifted from them and 
we see God with the understanding and with the heart ; 
we see Him as great and glorious, as a kind, loving and 
compassionate Father, and we come with confidence into 
His presence. We see the beauty and wisdom of a Di- 
vine Mediator ; we come with boldness to the throne of 
heavenly grace, and however sinful and unworthy, we 
find a sympathizing and compassionate Savior, able to 
save to the uppermost those who come to God through 
Him. We worship and commune w T ith Him in spirit and 
in truth. From the literal we come to an understanding 
of the spiritual — from types and shadows we at last 
grasp the substance. We begin in the flesh and we end 
in the spirit." 

" How instructive and impressive," said Elnathan, "the 
revelations of Jehovah, as they have been unfolding from 
age to age ! How admirably God has adapted Himself 
to every new revelation to His creatures ! To the patri- 
archs He was Elohim the everlasting, when His antece- 
dent eternity and absolute independence was referred to. 
He was Jehovah, the self-existent author of all things, 
manifesting Himself to the intelligent universe by the 
works of His creative power. He was El-elion, the 
Most High God, when men thought of His unattainable 
pre-eminence above all created things. He was El-shad- 
dai, the Almighty God, when His unconquerable omnipo- 
tence came into view. 



392 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

" When Jehovah met Moses at this Mount Sinai to 
give him that great commission to his people, Moses 
said : ' When I come unto them and say, the God of your 
fathers hath sent me unto you, and they say unto me, 
what is His name, what shall I say unto them? Say unto 
them E-he-ye asher E-he-ye — I Am that I Am — hath sent 
me unto you.' They knew God by all the former names by 
which He had been revealed to their fathers ; why this 
new name ? Jehovah was about to make Himself known 
by the mighty acts of His power among the people, to 
fulfill the promise made more than four hundred years 
before to Abraham. He was about to make Himself 
known among them as He had never been known before. 
As an ever-present, living, working power — the I Am ! 

" So when the greater work of spiritual redemption 
was to be accomplished, and all these symbols to have 
their fulfillment; when not Moses, but Messiah — not a 
deliverer of a nation, but the nation came ; when He 
stood among the people and proclaimed Himself as the 
One sent from God — ' Who hath sent thee and by what 
name shall we know Him ?' Now a new name is revealed 
— not Jehovah the self-existent ; not Elohim the ever- 
lasting ; not El-elion, or El-shaddai, not even the ever- 
present E-he-ye — it was a nearer, dearer, more loving 
name, suggestive of all tenderness and sympathy : ' My 
Father hath sent me unto you.' ' The Father so loved 
the world that He gave His only begotten Son.' ' He 
that keepeth my word my Father will come unto him, 
and will love him and we will take up our abode with him/ 
Blessed relationship ! That mighty God before whom 
Egypt cried out in terror ; beneath whose feet this Mount 
Sinai trembled, reveals Himself in the milder attributes 
of His Son. Through the mediation of that Son we 



LESSONS IN THE INNER SANCTUARY. 393 

come with boldness to this throne of grace and rejoice 
to meet our Father here. We are made to feel that all 
the attributes of that God, who here enthrones Himself in 
glory, like so many arms are stretched abroad through the 
universe, to fold to His breast and protect those who are 
His. ' The greater He is the gladder we be, so that He be 
our Father still.' " 

"Wonderful truths," said Ben Achmed, " to which I 
have before been blinded ! Jehovah made man in His 
image and after His likeness. He endowed him with rea- 
son and intellect ; He breathed into him and made him a 
living soul. God is a spirit and He gave man a spiritual 
nature that He might hold communion with him — spirit 
with spirit. But when man sinned, and was afraid and 
stood afar off, and the intimacy of the communion was 
broken, as if Jehovah was still determined to meet with 
us — when man lost the image of God — then God took our 
image, and came down in the person of His Son, taught 
us in our ignorance, and ministered to us in our wants — 
meets us at the mercy-seat ! Wonder of wonders ! I am 
astonished at the wisdom, the depth of mercy and conde- 
scension ! " 

"And yet,"' said I, " there are many who can see in 
this Anointed One no more than a mere man — a good 
man they say, coming into the world like other men, and 
endowed with a large share of human wisdom and a 
heart overflowing with benevolence and sympathy — dying 
simply as a martyr in attestation of His own faith ! O 
how low and insignificant are such views of the Son of 
the All-Father ! They look at this great system of truth 
revealed in the Bible, which we have been studying, and 
which has been unfolding from age to age, by patriarchs, 
by Moses, by the prophets — from Eden down to Calvary — 



394 

the instituted rites, the altars, the sacrifices, angels' 
visits, and patriarchs' visions — this Tabernacle, with its 
golden symbols — the ark, the cherubim, and the cloud of 
glory — the sprinkling of blood, and the burning of in- 
cense. Look at the wonderful providences of God in the 
selection and preservation of His people — the miracles, 
the prophecies — the anticipations, the looking, the wait- 
ing for the coming of a promised One ! Was all this four 
thousand years of providential care, of wonderful interpo- 
sitions, of divine guidance, of looking and waiting — the 
institution of all this system of rites and symbols and re- 
ligious appliances — to culminate in the mere introduction 
of a good man into the world, when every age had its 
good men, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Daniel ? 
Strange climax to this wonderful and Godlike series of 
revelations this would have been ! No, no ! All this 
w T as to find its consummation in something higher, no- 
bler ! As the grand realization of this long system of 
the world's pupilage, Jehovah was to make a clearer and 
more wonderful revelation of Himself in the person of 
Him whose name should be called Emanuel, God with us, 
the "Word made flesh ! 

" He who died on Calvary was more than a man — bet- 
ter than all holy men, older than Abraham, greater than 
Moses, wiser than Solomon — God was in Messiah prepar- 
ing for our redemption. He who humbled Himself to 
take our nature — shed His blood to make atonement 
and reconciliation — He came within the veil, and sprink- 
ling the blood of atonement before the throne, opened 
the way to the mercy-seat and to the communion of man 
with his Creator ! " 

"Wonder of wonders," said Ben Achmed, "the 



LESSONS IN THE INNER SANCTUARY. 895 

mystery deepens upon me ! Mysterious union ! How 
can it be?" 

" How can the finite,*' said Jason, " comprehend the 
mysteries of the infinite ? When we can not understand 
let us learn to trust and wait. ' If any man,' says the 
Messiah, 4 will do the will of God he shall know of the 
doctrine whether it be of God.' I feel within myself the 
blessed witness of the Spirit. I am sure we have a High 
Priest who passed through the heavens to us ; who is even 
now in the true holy of holies to make intercession for us ; 
who invites us to the real throne of grace and mercy-seat 
of which this is but the type." 

"None of us," said Elnathan, "can explain the incar- 
nation, or the nature of this great atoning sacrifice, by 
which we come to God ; or how in the estimation of the 
divine mind the offering was deemed adequate and made 
an equivalent of such vast consideration. It is enough 
for us to know that God was in Christ. It was God's ap- 
pointment; it was the substitution of the innocent for 
the guilty ; it was the righteousness and death of the 
blessed Messiah in the place, and instead of guilty man. 
He bore our sins in His body on the tree. In the mystery 
of Christ's incarnation and substitution were blended all 
the requisitions essential to make the blood efficacious. 
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself 
Why should we seek to know more ? It was as one has 
justly said : ' An anomalous mode of procedure, such as 
the loftiest conception of human genius never could have 
devised ; such as the Aveakness and imbecility of man 
never could execute. In was the conception of the 
matchless wisdom of the Divine mind.' " * 

*Robert Hall. 



396 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

"And then," said another, " by the incarnation — the 
humanity and shedding of the blood — how near we seem 
to come to the Deity. God out of Christ seems a great 
way off. Upon the throne of His glory, high and lifted 
up, who can approach Him ? We feel like the Hebrews 
at this burning mount; we draw back with terror and 
remain afar off. But when we get the New Testament 
idea and view of God — our Father — when that same 
Deity comes down and assumes our nature — veils Him- 
self in our common humanity — uttering the words of 
life, healing the sick, comforting the broken in heart, 
welcoming the wanderer, saying to the sin-burdened, 
6 thy sins are forgiven, go in peace ;' when we see Him 
by the bier of the dead quickening the pulsations of 
life, how near He seems to us ! Although we see in 
His knowledge of hidden things the very breathings of 
Omniscience ; in His miracles and acts of power the very 
upliftings of the Omnipotent arm, yet we are not afraid. 
We come to Him and stand by His side ; we seek His 
protection, and as He draws us closer to Himself we feel 
the very pulsations of His great infinite heart, and it beats 
in sympathy with our own ! It is thus we are encour- 
aged to come to this throne of grace — this mercy-seat — 
and we realize the promise : ' There will I meet with 
thee and will commune with thee from above the mercy- 
seat.' " 

" Blessed truths," exclaimed one. " How near we come 
to our Father in heaven ! How full of blessing and com- 
fort and elevating power this holy religion ! There is 
something in it that touches the human affections ; that 
excites the tenderest and deepest, as well as the loftiest, 
emotions of our nature ! " 

" How precious," said Jason, " the lessons of this holy 



LESSONS IN THE INNER SANCTUARY. 397 

of holies ! Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house ! 
But while my soul is lifted up with joy I feel like humb- 
ling myself before God. 

" ' How can it be that one so mean, 
A sinner, selfish, vile, unclean, 

Thus in the holiest stands? 
And in that light divinely pure, 
Which may no stain of sin endure, 

Lift up rejoicing hands ! 

" ' Messiah ! Answer Thou hast given 1 
Thy death, Thy life, have opened heaven 

And all its joys to me; 
Cleansed by Thy blood — wondrous grace ! 
I come within this holy place, 

And here I meet with Thee ! ' " 

As they were about to leave Ben Achmed, whose soul 
seemed aglow with heavenly inspiration, again lifted up 
his voice in prayer. 

Prayer of Ben Achmed in the Holy of Holies. 
Thou everliving One, Lord God of the heavens and 
the earth, encompassed with the glorious curtains of Thy 
majesty, from these golden symbols of this presence 
chamber we look up to Thee. We have lingered at the 
mercy-seat, and from beneath the outstretched wings of 
the kerubae have worshiped at Thy throne, and Thy 
revelations have been like light from the open heavens. 
Thou hast made our hearts tender toward all the holy 
Tabernacle, and by the appointments of Thy house and 
the symbols of Thy glory, our souls have been lifted to 
Thy heavens, and we have communed with Thee. As 
the kerubae were on the mercy-seat, and on the veil of 
separation, and on all the curtains round about, so the 



398 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

attendants of Thy glory are ever with Thee. Thou dost 
ride in majesty upon the wind, the lightnings are Thy 
ministers, the hosts of heaven wait upon Thee ; ten 
thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands 
attend Thy footsteps. We hear a great voice out of 
heaven, " behold, the Tabernacle of Grod is with men ;" and 
here we come to the Mishkan Kebod Yehowah — the dwell- 
ing of the glory of the Lord ! 

Thou didst visit Israel when their feet were hurt with 
fetters, and their soul was brought into iron ; this wilder- 
ness was their sanctuary, and the desolate places were 
made glad by the glory of Thy ministrations. Thou 
eternal fountain of wisdom and truth, as Thou didst re- 
veal Thyself unto Israel, break Thou the fetters of our 
sin; give us deliverance from all bondage, and set us on 
the high places of salvation. Cover us with the robe of 
God, and stretch over us the power of Thine hand ; set- 
tle our mountain in strength, and our hopes in right- 
eousness, and make us Thy willing servants, performing 
all Thy pleasure. 

eternal One, Jehovah our Lord, as Thou didst sanc- 
tify this place with Thy glory, as here the burning light 
of the Shekinah was suspended from the heavens, a guide 
to Thy people, so do Thou, light-giving, light-sustaining, 
pour Thy revealing, guiding light upon Thy waiting 
servants, and surround us with the effulgence of Thy 
glory. As Thy law was hidden in this ark, so hide it in 
our hearts, and make it to us the tree of life that obedi- 
ence may become the gladness of our joy, that we may 
glorify Him who has given His statutes to Israel. As 
the high priest came to this inner sanctuary with the 
blood of atonement, and sprinkled it before the mercy- 
seat, so may the blood of the great immolation be 



LESSONS IN THE INNEE SANCTUARY. 399 

sprinkled for us in the eternal Mishkan Kebod of the 
glorious heavens. As here the cloud of holy incense 
ascended from the golden censer, and filled all the conse- 
crated place, so help us to offer acceptable incense from 
grateful and adoring hearts. Unfold to us the mystery 
of Jesus Messiah, the one High Priest of all these holy 
ministrations — the prevailing blood — the continual obla- 
tion. Blessing He ascended and passed through the 
heavens ; blessing He has entered the true Tabernacle 
not made with hands, more glorious than all created 
things ; blessing He ever lives to sprinkle the blood of 
the covenant — to pour the grace of His benediction on 
all His redeemed people. 

Jehovah, ever to be adored ; the crown of salvation 
and the diadem of glory is on the head of King Messiah ; 
bring us to see Him, the mighty prince in the house of 
Jacob, in the power and glory of His ministrations ; King 
immortal and eternal. Make us to hear the tinkling of 
the bells of His priestly robes as He walks among the 
golden emblems in the eternal presence chamber, that we 
may know He lives. May our names be engraven and 
borne by Him as Aaron ministering with the blood of 
atonement bore the names of the tribes on his shoulders 
and on his breast. 

Verify Thy promises to Thy waiting servants, and from 
this Thine holy oracle make us hear our Father's voice, 
and with the spirit of adoption, like children cry unto 
Thee. We have walked through Thy courts from the 
great atoning altar by the laver of sanctification, the 
sevenfold light and the presence bread, the golden altar 
Avith its morning and evening incense, to this Thy glo- 
rious throne behind the veil. Every step has revealed to 
us a richer and more mysterious treasure of redemption. 



400 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Thou hast commanded light to shine out of darkness and 
our souls have rejoiced in Thy truth. And now these 
lessons of Thy courts are ended, and we shall again be 
strangers and wanderers. We have learned that Thou 
art our Father, and all we are children, though Abraham 
be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, 
Lord, art our Father and Redeemer ; Thy name is from 
everlasting. And now, Holy One, be our Guide, our 
Strength and Redeemer. Bless us with the threefold 
blessings of the law — the Lord bless us and keep us. 
The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious 
unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and 
give us peace. And when our pilgrimage is ended, bring 
us safely over Jordan to the one great Tabernacle of the 
heavens — from the shadow to the substance — where par. 
ables shall cease and symbols no more be needed — where 
all the countless multitude of the redeemed, from all 
nations and kingdoms and tribes, with crowns of glory 
and palms of victory, shall unite in the triumphant song 
of Moses and the Lamb. Praised be the Lord God of the 
heavens and the earth. Amen and amen. 



1HE TABERNACLE AND THE ARK. 401 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Final History of the Tabernacle and the Ark. 

In the wilderness the Tabernacle and the ark was kept 
in the center of their encampment. In their migration 
it retained its central position ; the tribes marched and 
camped about it in the form of a great hollow square. 
Only on certain great occasions the ark led the march, as 
when they crossed the Jordan on their entrance into the 
promised land. 

Having crossed the river, the head- quarters of the 
nation was established at Gilgal, on the plain of the 
Jordan, near Jericho. No special mention is made of 
the Tabernacle being erected here, but such was undoubt- 
edly the case, as according to the general command this 
was one of the first things to be done when the tribes 
rested. Here the Tabernacle continued for at least seven 
years, some say fourteen, during the conquest of a large 
portion of the land. To this place the armies frequently 
returned from their campaigns among the cities. — Josh. 
x, 15. 

At the time of the gathering of the nation at Ebal 
and Gerizim for the reading of the law and the utterance 
of the blessings for obedience, and the curses for dis- 
obedience, although the ark was brought here, the great 
altar and Tabernacle remained at Gilgal, for Joshua built 
at Ebal an altar — " an altar of whole stones, over which 
no man had lifted up any iron " — and here he offered 
34 



402 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. — Josh, viii, 31, 
This was an exigency that made a departure from the 
general law that confined the offerings to the court of 
the Tabernacle allowable. 

After the conquest was so far completed that the peo- 
ple felt secure, the Tabernacle was permanently located 
at Shiloh — "Rest" and this city became the ecclesiasti- 
cal capital of the nation. It was a central position, con- 
venient for the gathering of the people, about twenty 
miles north of Jerusalem. For more than 300 years — 
until the time of Samuel — this was the great rallying 
place of the nation, where three times a year, at the great 
annual festivals, all the males of the land were required 
to present themselves before God. 

During the days of Eli, the high priest, in a war 
between Israel and the Philistines, the ark of God was 
taken from the holy of holies to the camp, under the 
presumption that its presence would give them a victory. 
Alas ! Israel was defeated, and the ark fell into the 
hands of their enemies, and although afterward recov- 
ered by the nation, it was never again returned to its 
former appointed resting place. Eli, under the pressure 
of grief for the defeat of Israel, the loss of the ark, and 
the untimely death of his sons, fell from his seat and was 
taken up dead. 

From the time the ark was removed from the protec- 
tion of its sacred curtains, the glory of the Tabernacle 
faded. After the death of Eli the Tabernacle was re- 
moved to Nob, a city of the priests, about fifteen miles 
north-west of Jerusalem, and twenty or a little more 
from Shiloh. This was a city of the priests, but why the 
Tabernacle was removed here, or Avhy taken from Shiloh, 
no explanation is given. It may be that in the wars 



THE TABERXACLE AND THE ARK. 403 

with the Philistines Shiloh had become an unsafe place 
for it. The Tabernacle was at this place when David, 
fleeing from Saul, came there to Ahimelech, and pressed 
with hunger, was fed with the show-bread. — 1 Sam. xxi. 
Saul in a fit of anger avenged this favor shown to David 
by slaughtering the priests and destroying the city, 
1062 b. c. 

Upon this the Tabernacle was removed to Gibeon. If 
it was taken to Nob at the death of Eli it must have re- 
mained there between seventy-five and eighty years. 
Gibeon was another Levitical city, about six miles north 
of Jerusalem. Here the brazen altar was established 
until it found a place in the court of the great temple 
at Jerusalem, though the ark was at this time at Kir- 
jath-Jearim. At the time David built an altar on the 
threshing floor of Oman, the Jebusite, on Mount Moriah, 
when God stayed the plague, the Tabernacle and altar of 
burnt offering were at Gibeon. It was at this place — 
Gibeon — Solomon offered up his thousand burnt-offer- 
ings, and here that the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 
and said : "Ask what I shall give thee." Solomon first 
acknowledged God's great mercy and goodness to his 
father, and then prayed for wisdom to rule aright the 
great people over whom God had made him king. And 
here the Lord not only granted him his desire for wis- 
dom and understanding, but added with it riches and 
honor. 

While the ark was sheltered in the tent prepaied for it 
by David on Mount Zion, the old Tabernacle retained its 
hold on the affections of the people, and still continued 
to be the place of resort for the worship of God. There 
was also some form of worship kept up at Jerusalem. 
At one time we read of Zadok and Abiathar being priests. 



404 

Zadok was established at Gibeon where the great altar 
was still in use, while Abiathar seems to have ministered 
before the ark which was at Jerusalem. 

At last the magnificent Temple of Solomon was com- 
pleted; the ark of the covenant was removed into the 
holy of holies ; the great brazen altar established in the 
court in the house of God; the other sacred vessels were 
removed to their more costly abode. The more humble 
Tabernacle had now fulfilled its mission. What final dis- 
position was made of its materials we are not informed. 
During the long period of time it was in use many por- 
tions of it would naturally fall into decay. The silver 
foundation was incorruptible ; the boards and pillars of 
acacia wood plated with gold might have been preserved, 
as they were protected from the weather, but the interior 
curtains and the coarser coverings would undoubtedly 
have to be several times renewed. Whether the zeal of 
the people induced them to replace these tapestries with 
the beautiful and costly fabrics of the original structure 
we can not tell. But the venerable sanctuary served its 
purpose in the economy of God's revelation, and after a 
long and honorable service of about 480 years — from 
the exodus to the completion of the temple, it was al- 
lowed to fall into decay, but not to be forgotten. It 
has a large place in the history and religion of the 
Hebrew people in their poetry and songs of devotion. 
It has added largely to our religious vocabulary; it 
has been our instructor to unfold to us the spiritual 
and invisible things of God, aided us in the cultivation 
of our devotional feelings and sentiments, and will 
ever be remembered and celebrated in the song of the 
redeemed. 



THE TABERNACLE AXD THE ARK. 405 

The History of the Ark. 

We have seen how the sacred ark was constructed, and 
how it found a resting place within the curtains of the 
holy of holies. We have seen how it was made a place 
of meeting between Jehovah and His people. To the 
Hebrew nation it was a revered and most sacred treasure, 
and even amid the defections of sin and idolatry they 
seemed never to have lost their regard and reverence for 
the ark of their God. Even the nations about them 
looked upon it with awe mingled with fear. It w T as cov- 
ered with the cloud of glory in its resting place in the 
holy sanctuary ; it was screened with a royal covering of 
blue and purple when it was removed and borne with 
reverence upon the shoulders of consecrated ones. It 
occupied a central position in the camp, and was pro- 
tected on all sides by an immense and watchful army. 
When at rest the costly curtains inclosed it from the 
eyes of the profane ; when removed it was under the im- 
mediate care of those specially appointed, who watched 
and handled it with zealous care. It was to Israel the 
assurance of the divine presence and blessing. 

When the time came for the entrance into the prom- 
ised land, and the great procession of the tribes moved 
down the slopes of Moab, the ark of God, borne upon the 
shoulders of the priests, led the advance of the nation. 
God was now fulfilling the promise, and though long and 
wearisome years had intervened the land given by oath 
to Abraham was about to become their possession. As 
the Red Sea had been divided to give them deliverance 
from their enemies, so now, when the feet of the priests 
bearing the ark of God touched the waters of the Jordan, 



406 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

a path was opened before them, and the waters stood on 
heaps above them till all had passed over. 

On the plain of the Jordon at Gilgal the nation en- 
camped ; the Tabernacle was erected, and here the sacred 
ark found a resting place during all the early years of 
the conquest. It was from here the ark was taken out 
when with it the armies of Israel encompassed Jericho, 
and the walls of the great city were prostrated before it. 
As .soon as the land was sufficiently subdued to make it 
safe, the ark of the covenant was taken to Shechem, and 
placed in the valley between Ebal and Gerizim, where 
amid the assembled tribes, as they covered the mountains 
on either side, the blessings for obedience and the curses 
for disobedience were pronounced. 

When their enemies were subdued the Tabernacle was 
taken to Shiloh, and here the ark of God found rest, and 
here it remained for over 300 years. 

In the days of Eli, the high priest, in a war between 
the Philistines and Israel, supposing they would be more 
likely to succeed if they had the ark of God with them, 
in an evil hour they removed it from the security 
of the holy curtains, and took it to the camp of 
Israel at Ebenezer, a few miles north-west of Jerusalem. 
But in vain are the symbols of God's presence if the 
spirit has departed. The armies of Israel were defeated, 
and the ark of God fell into the hands of the Philistines, 
who conveyed it in great triumph to Ashdod, and placed 
it in the temple of their god Dagon. The first night the 
idol was found face downward before the ark. Suppos- 
ing it to be an accident, the image was again set in his 
place ; but on the second morning he was again found 
prostrate before the ark, his hands and his head broken 
off. The inhabitants also were troubled with strange 



THE TABERNACLE AND THE ARK. 407 

plagues, which they attributed to the judgments of the 
God of the Hebrews. Now, as then, the ark of God 
always troubles the enemies of Jehovah. They sent the 
ark to Gath, but the judgments of God followed and fell 
upon the people there. The men of Gath hastened to 
send it away and it was taken to Ekron. The people of 
this city cried out against it, and refused to have it among 
them. Why they did not destroy it can only be attrib- 
uted to their reverence for sacred things, and their fears 
that still heavier judgments would be visited upon them. 
The God of the Hebrews was well known among them, 
and they feared Him as a God mighty in power. 

After it had been in the country seven months a coun- 
cil of priests and diviners was called to determine what 
disposition to make of it. To avoid further punishment 
they determined to send it away from them, but in doubt 
as to where, or how, was to be settled in part by chance. 
The ark was laid upon a new cart ; costly propitiatory 
offerings of golden images were placed in a chest beside 
it. To the cart were harnessed two cows that had never 
before borne a yoke ; their calves were shut away from 
them and they were left to themselves to go whither they 
would. 

To the great surprise of the people and the lords of 
the land, who were watching to see the result, the kine 
took the direct road to Bethshemesh, a city of the He- 
brews, about twelve miles from Ekron, and about the 
same distance a little south or west from Jerusalem, now 
known as Ames Shems. They left their pastures and 
their young behind them, lowing as they went, as if anx- 
ious to call attention to their precious burden. 

The men of Bethshemesh were in the field gathering 
their harvest ; they hailed the return of the ark with great 



408 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TEXT. 

joy ; set it upon a rock in the field, made a fire with the 
wood of the cart and offered the two animals that had 
drawn it a burnt-offering to the Lord. Some of the men, 
thoughtless or forgetful of the command of God, and 
actuated by an idle curiosity, dared to open the ark and 
look into it. They were smitten of God — Josephus says 
by a thunderbolt — and many of them slain. Terrified by 
such a fearful visitation, they cried out : " Who is able to 
stand before the holy Lord God ? " They were afraid to 
have the ark remain among them. "We can safely stand 
before God, and are safe when we are obedient to His 
commandments, but disobedience provokes His judg- 
ments. 

A delegation from Kirjath Jearim took the ark to that 
city, a town on the boundary between Judah and Benja- 
min, about ten miles north-west from Jerusalem, and six 
or eight miles from Bethshemesh. Why it was not taken 
back to Shiloh is not stated, and can not now be explained. 
Perhaps Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines, or 
had become an unsafe place for it, as the Tabernacle 
itself was removed to Nob soon after the ark was 
taken away. At Kirjath Jearim was a priestly family 
of some note, Abinidab by name ; the ark was deposited 
at his house, and Eleazer his son sanctified to keep it. 
Thus the ark of God was separated from the Taberna- 
cle, to which it seems never to have returned. It did 
not again find its appropriate resting place in the holy 
of holies till the great temple was built at Jerusalem. 

Some suppose from 1 Sam. vii, 2, the ark was at Kir- 
jath Jearim only twenty years, but the twenty years 
mentioned there evidently refers not to the time of the 
continuance of the ark there, but to the time in which 
Israel began to lament their sins and seek after the 



THE TABERNACLE AND THE ARK. 409 

Lord. It seems evident from the narrative that the ark 
was continued at this place, except being taken away for 
short intervals, from soon after the death of Eli, during 
all the time of Samuel and Saul, and even until David 
made preparations to remove it to the tent he had built 
for it on Mount Zion. 

Once during this time we find it at Gibeah of Saul, 
four miles north of Jerusalem. It was brought here into 
the camp of Saul in the war with the Philistines, that he 
might inquire of the Lord. — 1 Sam. xiv, 18. But this seems 
to have been an exceptional case, for the ark of the Lord 
seems to have been greatly neglected, as we learn from 
1 Chron. xiii, 3, that it was not customary to inquire at 
the ark in the days of Saul. From the camp of Saul it 
was taken back to Kirjath Jearim. 

L^pon the death of Saul, David succeeded to the throne 
of the kingdom, and God gave him great prosperity. 
After reigning seven and a half years at Hebron, he es- 
tablished his court at Jerusalem. He remembered the 
God of his fathers ; and soon made arrangements to re- 
move, with great pomp and ceremony, the ark of God to 
a tent he had prepared for it upon Mount Zion. The 
first attempt at removal was accomplished with a sad dis- 
aster, and the ark was left at the house of Obed-Edom. 
Here it remained three months, and God's favor seemed 
to attend it, for God blessed the house of Obed-Edom. — 
1 Chron. xiii. A second attempt was more successful, 
and with an immense retinue of attendants, with songs, 
rejoicings and festivities, the ark was lodged in the tent 
David had built for it on Mount Zion. The ark of God 
now continued to be honored, and some form of worship 
was conducted here, for David had priestly service before 
35 



410 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

the ark, though the old Tabernacle remained at Gibeon, 
and the sacrifices were offered there. 

David used his high position, as all wise rulers should, 
not merely to increase the worldly glory of his kingdom, 
but to advance the interests of religion. The Lord 
greatly extended his dominions, and filled his treasury 
with gold and silver. He gave him rest from all his ene- 
mies round about, and established him in peace and secu- 
rity. Thus prospered, he felt it was not appropriate for 
him to dwell in a house of cedar, and allow the ark of his 
God to dwell in curtains. But as he was not permitted 
to build the house (1 Chron. xxii, 8), he left most ample 
means, and special directions for his son Solomon, and in 
due time the magnificent and costly temple was com- 
pleted. The ark was removed from the tent on Mount 
Zion to the golden holy of holies on Mount Moriah ; the 
staves were drawn out, prophetic of the rest it was now 
to enjoy ; the Shekinah returned, and the glory of God 
filled the house ! 

Moses put into the ark the tables of the law ; the pot 
of manna, the memorial of the bread of the wilderness ; 
and the rod that confirmed the priesthood of Aaron ; but 
the time came when the memorials of his care in the wil- 
derness and of his sarcedotal choice were no longer 
needed. But the Ten Words were not, must not, be for- 
gotten. The law abideth forever, the eternal foundation 
of the throne of God, and the perpetuity and welfare 
of man. When the ark was removed into the temple 
there was nothing in it save the two tables of stone. — 
Xings, yiii, 9. 

It remained in the temple unmolested until the time of 
the liter kings of Judah, when some of the rulers, giving 
them clvc3 up to idolatry, profaned the temple by setting 



THE TABERNACLE AND THE ARK. 411 

up their idols even in the holy place. The priests, 
unable to endure this profanity, removed the ark. 
King Josiah rebuked idolatry, cleansed the temple, 
and ordered the priests to return the ark to its ac- 
customed place. Here it remained until the city and 
temple were destroyed and Judah carried away captive 
to Babylon. What became of the ark on the destruc- 
tion of the temple is an unsolved enigma. There are 
many theories and conjectures, but none on which we 
can rely. 

It is not probable the ark was taken from the tem- 
ple by the conquerors when it was plundered, for if so, 
mention would have been made of it. In Chronicles, 
and in Jeremiah, allusion is made to the most important 
articles taken by the conqueror, and among them the 
golden candlestick, but no mention is made of the ark. 
Nor could it have been destroyed with the temple, be- 
cause all valuables the conquerors could find were re- 
moved by them before they set it on fire. The most 
reasonable supposition is that the priests who had 
charge of the temple, foreseeing the inevitable over- 
throw of the city, and knowing it would be aban- 
doned to sacrilegious plunder, removed the ark to some 
secret and secure place known only to a few, and dur- 
ing the long years of the captivity the knowledge of 
the place was lost. If so, it is still in existence, for 
the most of it was solid gold and imperishable. 

All Jewish writers agree that the ark was not in the 
second temple, and there is no evidence that any new one 
was made to take its place. There may have been a 
chest, as a receptacle of the law, as in Jewish synagogues 
at the present day, but nothing used as a propitiatory. 
Josephus says that when the Romans destroyed the 



412 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

second temple there was nothing found in the holy of 
holies. 

From the second chapter of the second book of Macca- 
bees we learn " that the prophet Jeremias, being warned 
of God, commanded that the ark should accompany him 
till he came forth to the mountains where Moses went up 
and saw the inheritance of God. And when Jeremias 
came hither he found a hollow cave, and he carried up 
the ark, and the altar of incense and so stopped the door. 
And some of them that followed him came up to mark 
the place, but they could not find it. And Jeremias said 
the place should be unknown till God gathers together 
the congregation of the people, and receive them to 
mercy." This, no doubt, is the origin of the belief 
among the present Samaritans at Mount Gerizim, that 
the ark had thus been hidden, and will in God's time be 
restored. 

"A similar tradition," said Ben Achmed, " has long 
■existed among my people ; that the ark of God with its 
sacred deposits was hidden when the temple was plun- 
dered by the Chaldeans, and that all shall be restored in 
the days of Messiah." 

" The hidden ark," said Jason, "has truly been re- 
stored. Messiah, our Ark — the real Ark of God — has 
been given to the nations and we still have the sacred 
memorials it treasured — the manna, the law and the 
priesthood of the regeneration. The ark of the Taber- 
^rnacle's temple accomplished its mission and is no longer 
needed." 



CLOSING LESSON, ETC. 41& 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Closing Lesson — Ben Achmed's Vision — Farewell to 

Sinai. 

It was the last evening in the desert. Abdallah was 
busy with his preparation for their departure. The 
camels had been brought in from their distant pastur- 
age, the drivers and the guide were idling about the 
camp. The company lingered at the table as if anxious 
to improve the closing hours of their desert sojourn in 
further converse upon the theme that had been to 
them so full of interest and instruction. Ben Achmed's 
seat at the table was vacant. He had wandered to a lone 
retreat of the mountain, where, with a soul aglow with 
the contemplation of divine things, he had meat to eat 
more refreshing to the hungry soul than any repast the 
camp table could supply. 

" One thing," said one of the company, " has deeply 
impressed me in all these studies — the unity of this whole 
great scheme of revelation and salvation. The work is 
all of one piece ; one mind has planned, one hand directed 
in all this work. It began with the cherubim and altar 
fires at the gate of Eden ; it was seen in the worship, sac- 
rifices and teachings of the patriarchs ; it blazed out in 
the fires of the brazen altar ; it was seen in all the rituals, 
symbols, sacrifices and services of the Tabernacle and 
temple ; it culminated in the spiritual dispensation of 
Messiah — the atoning blood, the wonderful resurrection, 
the glorious ascension, the heavenly mediation — and the 



414 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

work will be continued amid the splendors of the new 
heavens and the new earth, and will reach the consumma- 
tion of its glory in the great spiritual temple in the heav- 
ens — the eternal mansions of the blest." 

" Yes," said Elnathan, " these patterns we have been 
studying of things spiritual and eternal were of Him who 
built all things. For six thousand years the great struc- 
ture has been growing, increasing in majesty and ampli- 
tude ; Jehovah, the mighty Architect, making Himself 
known unto the children of men by the golden symbols, 
by the living teachers, by the inspiration of the prophets, 
the visions of holy men — leading us to the knowledge of 
the Divine Son — the better things of the spiritual dispen- 
sation. All have spoken of the same thing ; all conspired 
to the attainment of the same great end ! " 

" Truly," was the response, " no one can examine this 
subject without being impressed, as another has expressed 
it, that the Bible is a divine plan stretching in unbroken 
line from the creation to the restitution. It leads the 
grand march of humanity from Paradise to the New 
Jerusalem ; from patriarch to apostle ; from the altar of 
Abel to the cross of Calvary ; from the priesthood of a 
tribe to the priesthood of all believers ; from outward 
worship in tabernacles and temples to spiritual worship 
every-where ; from the struggle of evil on earth to per- 
fect holiness in heaven ; from the visible to the unseen 
and the eternal.* There is in all these Tabernacle sym- 
bols the elements of a prophecy reaching far into the 
future, revealing a mind of infinite wisdom to plan and 
infinite ability to execute." 

" Compare it," said another, " with the ever changing 

*Heman Lincoln. 



CLOSING LESSON, ETC. 415 

philosophies and religions of the world, teaching, as they 
do, now one thing and then another. This system, the 
oldest in the world, has never changed its plan or pur- 
pose. No other system, either of philosophy or religion T 
can claim such an origin ; such antiquity ; such a history ; 
such unity and perpetuity ; such a succession ; such an 
unbroken series of events. There is about it a structural 
unity that is marvelous. The writers of these books of 
revelation were separated from each other by centuries, 
even millenniums of time, by great geographical dis- 
tances. They form a lineal succession. Few of them 
were men of marked intellectual position ; they were un- 
known in the histories or philosophies of the world. Be- 
fore the flood, after the flood ; from Chaldea, from Egypt, 
from Canaan — an unbroken succession of men of all ranks 
and grades in society — learned ones from the courts of 
princes ; obscure ones from the shepherd's fold ; from the 
palaces of wealth and the abodes of poverty , the rough 
and uncouth, the cultivated and refined ; fishermen from 
the sea of Galilee, and Jews from the feet of Gamaliel, 
have all been engaged in the work — all moved by one 
great impulse ; actuated by the same high and holy mo- 
tives, evidently inspired by the same controlling mind — 
united builders in the one great temple of God. Speak- 
ing from the cities of Greece, from Mars Hill, from the 
dungeons of Rome, the plains of Asia, the deserts of 
Arabia. There is here a grand succession of events ; the 
unbroken march of an army of holy men, that speaks in 
unmistakable language of the guiding hand of some great 
Invisible Power who is over all ; who has ability to con- 
trol and wisdom to direct — in whose mind the whole 
great scheme was planned from the foundation stones of 



il6 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

Eden to the triumphal completion of the restored Para- 
dise of God ! " * 

" Truly," said Jason, " the Bible is not two books, but 
one. The New Testament, with its spiritual revelation 
and inspiration, was not an after-thought. From Gene- 
sis to Revelation it is the one grand story of redemption 
— from the garden of Eden to the Tree of Life and the 
river of God, as seen by John in his vision on Patmos. 
The wisdom of Jehovah shines out like the fire of the pil- 
lar of cloud over the camp of Israel. The fathers wor- 
shiped in tabernacles and temples, with priestly rites 
and costly offerings ; we have the temple of living stones ; 
Messiah, the living foundation, the worship in spirit and 
truth. The Bible is the one revelation of God ; a web of 
truth woven in the loom of heaven, and God's own hand 
threw the shuttle." . . . 

The evening was far advanced when Ben Achmed came 
in with a soul all aglow with his communings upon the 
mount. At first he was silent and seemed completely 
absorbed in profound and pensive meditation. Gradually 
his companions drew him into a more cheerful and social 
mood. In answer to some queries as to how he had 
spent the evening — 

" You know," said he, " the cleft under the rock near 
the top of the mount — the traditional place where Moses 
was sheltered when Jehovah passed by and proclaimed 
His glory. Near here also Elijah long afterward stood 
at the mouth of the cave when Jehovah spake to him, 
not in the whirlwind, nor yet in the fire, but in the still 
small voice. These events of the past came back upon 
me like visions of angels, and I felt as though I was 

*Rev. Wm. Ashmore, D.D. 



CLOSING LESSON, ETC. 417 

standing upon holy ground. No wonder our fathers de- 
lighted to worship on high places. Mountain tops have 
been associated with many of our sublimest revelations. 
— like Moses on this Mount of the Law ; Aaron on Mount 
Hor ; Elisha on Carmel ; Messiah on Tabor, Calvary and 
Olivet. ' Has not Jehovah,' I said, ' still spirits of min- 
istration to drop His messages into the hearts of His wait- 
ing ones ? ' 

" The vision of these things rose up around me and 
so deeply impressed me, the mountain scenery faded from 
my sight. Views of more glorious things were before 
me, and for a season I was lost in sublime and rapturous 
ecstasy. Then I seemed involved in a cloud and saw 
nothing clearly. Gradually the mists faded aw T ay, and 
the shadowy outlines of unknown visitants were before 
me. As one approached me with the dignity and bear- 
ing of a monarch, I beheld in his hand a rod inscribed 
with the great and ineffable name, and by that sign I knew 
the leader of the armies of God — the great law-giver of 
Israel ! Lifting his hand, as if to command attention, ' I 
come,' said he, ' a visitant from yon high courts of glory. 
Through me came to men the commandments of Jeho- 
vah. The great system of ceremonies, sacrifices, obla- 
tions and types all spake of Him who was to come. For 
Him my mission prepared the way. In His coming all 
has been fulfilled — types have found their completion, 
shadows their substance. Tabernacle and temple, typi- 
cal rites and bloody sacrifices are now no longer needed. 
Prophets, legislators, teachers — their mission is ended. 
The crown is on the head of King Messiah, and he shall 
henceforth be all in all — greater than Moses, wiser than 
the prophets, more glorious than all holy men ! ' 

•• As the vision vanished, above me there was a cloud 



418 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

of heavenly light, reminding me of the Shekinah of the 
camp of Israel, and as I gazed from it there seemed to 
emerge a radiant form of unearthly grandeur and sweet- 
ness, and Meshiah stood revealed, the Qrowning glory of 
the revelation of God. It seemed like a repetition of the 
scene on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Moses and 
Elijah, the representatives of the law and the prophets 
withdrew, and the astonished disciples lifted up their 
eyes and saw Jesus Only ! " . . . 

The morning dawned bright and beautiful, but the 
night had added another to the interesting incidents that 
characterized their stay at the mount. This was the fall 
of a slight shower of rain, the first they had seen since 
they had entered the desert. But little rain fell, scarce 
enough to wet their tents, but what was of special inter- 
est, it was accompanied by one broad flash of lightning 
and a heavy clap of thunder. As the peal woke the 
echoes of the mountain crags, and reverberated from cliff 
to cliff, it reminded them of those grand exhibitions of 
divine power that near four thousand years before Israel 
had been called to witness — the thunderings and the 
lightnings that accompanied the appearance of Jehovah 
in His majestic descent upon Sinai. 

A part of the company were to return to Suez, by the 
way of Wady es Sheik, and Surrabit el Kadim, but Rabbi 
Ben Achmed had arranged to make the return by Mount 
Hor and the tomb of Aaron, and from thence to Hebron 
and Jerusalem. " Henceforth," said he, " all the land 
of my fathers will be invested with a new and deeper in- 
terest. I will study the revelations of Jehovah, and the 
character and the works of Meshiah, among the hills of 
Judea, in the cities of Galilee, and along the waters of 



ETC. 419 

the Jordan in the holy city, by Calvary, Gethsemane 
and Olivet." 

As the caravan moved down the valley, for a long dis- 
tance the sublime heights of Sinai and Horeb remained 
in full view, and their eyes were often turned backward 
for a lingering sight of the mighty and enduring monu- 
ment of Jehovah's ministrations among men. The emo- 
tions of each heart could be easily interpreted, and 
seemed to say : " Farewell, thou Mount of God^ What 
lessons thou hast taught us as we have climbed thy rug- 
ged sides, lingered at thy base, heard the voice of God 
in the revelations of the law, and walked in the sanctuary 
of Jehovah!" 

Jason was the last to give utterance to the strong emo- 
tions that stirred his impulsive nature. " Farewell, Sinai, 
Mount of God ! Jehovah in His omnipotence lifted thy 
verdureless peaks in towering grandeur into the heavens 
— His august throne around which He gathered His 
adoring people. The blazing lightnings were the tokens 
of His presence ; the thunders echoing from crag to crag,. 
the anthem bells that summoned a nation to audience 
with the Deity. Mount of the law, Jehovah seems to 
have formed thee for this one purpose alone ; He has en- 
compassed thee with these everlasting barriers of deserts 
and mountains — vast ramparts of defense ! The law 
given, the tuition of the people completed, the Tabernacle 
erected, and His worship established, the great drama 
ended, and thou wert left alone in solitary grandeur and 
gloomy solitude — never to be used again ! 

" Sinai, impressive region of silence and solitude, of 
mountain ruggedness and sublimity, of fear and trembling, 
symbol of law, justice and judgment, thou hast led us to 
Calvary, type of mercy, acceptance and pardon ! Cal- 



420 HAM-MISHKAN, THE WONDERFUL TENT. 

vary ! standing amid the verdure and beauty of the fer- 
tile hills of Judah ! Around thee are green fields, olive 
groves and fruitful vineyards. There are the sweet glid- 
ing waters of the Kedron ; Siloam's refreshing streams; 
Gethsemane's inviting shades, and Olivet's smooth and 
gentle slopes — indicative of the fertilizing grace and 
beauty that spring up beneath the feet of Emanuel, mak- 
ing the desert bud and blossom as the rose, and rivers of 
salvation refresh the thirsty earth ! " 

To this there was from all the company a responsive 
and hearty Amen! . . . 

A sudden turn in the valley — the lofty hills shut them 
in and the vision of the mountain was lost forever I 

THE END. 





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